Forbidden Temptation
by morning sun
Summary: 2007 Movieverse. A yellow Camaro is finding himself attracted to a human female. Is it even possible? And what happens when you throw death, jealousy, kidnapping, and Decepticon's into the mix? Will love overcome? PERMANENT HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1, Vibrations

_Chapter One: Vibrations_

In the months that followed the fiasco of the all spark, Sam Witwiky had grown up considerably. Although he still obtained his humor and care free demeanor, life was looked at through older, wiser eyes. Things were put into a greater perspective, family and friends were slated higher in the totem pole of everyday life. Yet, at the same time, everyday moments that at one time seemed simple and constant held more meaning. Things that were always possibilities for the future were taken more seriously now that the future had almost been taken away. Things that Sam had never even tried now seemed important and significant. Like the basketball hoop that his father had just purchased.

Sam looked up at the newly mounted hoop over the garage doors. His father had installed it with the intention of "getting into shape." Sam knew that it had only been to re-live his high school days, when he'd been a much thinner and highly more athletic person. Sam twirled the orange ball between his palms and dribbled it a few times, trying to get a feel for it. He himself had never really been into sports, not being the right height or weight, and lacked the natural skill. Still, it was a wonderfully sunny day, and Mikeala was busy at her new job.

He was bored out of his mind, TV becoming mundane and driving around with Bee unexciting. The yellow Camaro was parked to the side of the driveway, facing Sam and the hoop, with a clear view of how everything was about to pan out. The car was softly playing music that reached Sam's ears. _"Yeah, now basketball is my favorite sport, I love the way they dribble up and down the court…"_ Sam rolled his eyes, took position, and shot from where he thought the foul line might be.

The ball hit the side of the garage and hurtled back toward him. He ducked and fell to his knees, barely moving in time to miss a face implant. The ball rolled and bounced down the drive while the Camaro vibrated in what Sam knew was laughter. When Bumblebee had seen the round orange ball that Sam had called a basketball, he'd connected his wi-fi to look up everything he could about the sport.

Bumblebee's new favorite players were Michael Jordan and LeBron James. He liked the simple way the game was played, and knew that when it came down to it all it really was, was math. If a player knew the correct angle and latitude that the ball should be directed, there was a higher percentage of making a shot. It was amazing; all the athletic competition's that humans made up. Of course on Cybertron there had been athletics, but it was mostly shows of stamina, and it usually coincided with training on the battlefield.

A loud sound byte of woody woodpecker's obnoxious laugh rang out for Sam, and the boy grimaced. While Bee could now talk, he still liked to communicate by the radio while in car form. Come to think of it, he often did it while in robot form also. Sam raced down the driveway after the ball, silently cursing under his breath. He'd known basketball had been a bad idea.

Just as the ball was about to roll out into the street a white high top Nike stopped it, resting firmly on the top of the ball. Sam followed the tennis shoe up, seeing the shapely legs that were perfectly tanned, navy blue shorts that were rolled up to make them rest high above her mid thigh, and a white button-up shirt. Sam swallowed as his eyes reached her face; it was Lana, the mail carrier.

Lana had been the source of many teenage fantasies; before he'd started fantasizing about Mikeala of course. But once he had focused all of his attention on Mikeala he'd only thought of her on rare occasions. Although it was not very often that he got to talk to the mail carrier, he had always made a point of it in the past. He felt his throat closing up as he looked at her, flashing him a smile that.

"Jesus." He didn't even realize that he'd said it until he saw her eyebrows raise at him.

"I mean, hi Lana."

She looked amused and shook her head.

"You know, staring like that will get you into a lot of trouble one day." Sam swallowed and watched as she bent over and picked up his basket ball.

"Yeah well… is that a standard uniform or what?" Lana laughed and handed him the ball,

"I switch it back before I get to the post office. I think the normal way makes me look frumpy." Sam nodded, feeling it was best to agree; who was he to complain?

"So, how's school Sam? Isn't this you senior…-" Lana's voice trailed off, her eyes looking past him and focusing on something behind Sam.

Sam turned to see what she was looking at, but the only thing behind him was Bumblebee. Lana walked past him, almost as if she were in a trance, and stopped in front of the car. Sam walked over and stood next to her, looking at her questioningly, and as though she were a bit crazy.

"Nice car." She said reverently. Her fingertips reached down and slid gently over the hood of the Camaro, her teeth biting her lower lip. The opening lyrics for Nelly's "It's getting hot in her'" began to play on Bee's radios, and Sam gave the car a sharp warning look. Lana didn't seem to notice and continued to stare down at the car.

"What's its name?" Sam almost choked, and instead looked at her in question.

"Your car" Lana continued,"You know, people sometimes name their cars. Like mines a piece of shit, so I named it fucker. I get a lot of weird looks when it starts to stall."

It made Sam smile a little to think of Lana screaming fucker when her car stalled.

"Oh, his name's Bumblebee" He answered. Lana smile was ear to ear,

"That's a good name." She redirected her attention to the car and walked around to the driver's side, her fingertips running over the side of the autobot as she walked. Sam noticed that Bee began to vibrate a bit, and the music went up a fraction.

_"I am getting so hot, I wanna take my clothes off…" _Sam swallowed again as she bent down and hung in the window, her form looking extra curvy in her new position.

"This is a beautiful car Sam." She said, looking in at the leather seats and high-tech dash. Sam nodded in agreement.

"You know a lot about cars?"

Lana gave a little laugh,"I know how to pump gas, and that's about it. I just know what I like. Can I sit in the driver's seat?"

Before Sam could answer the car door opened, gently resting on her thighs.

"Oh, um... oops, guess I left the door open. Yeah, I don't care if you sit in it."

Lana's smile in response was the biggest, and loveliest, he'd seen. She maneuvered around the open car door and slid into the seat, shutting the door as she settled into the quality leather. Her hands rested on the wheel as she looked about, taking in all of the Camaro's features. Sam walked over and leaned into the window, watching her inspect his car. He realized that the whole car was vibrating lightly and noticed that Lana's thumbs were moving back and forth over the wheel in what Sam was sure seemed like caressing touch to the robot. Sam hit the top of the car soundly, causing the car to stop vibrating abruptly, but Lana to jump and look at him, obviously startled.

Sam hit the hood a few more times, trying to look casual,

"So… you're a mail man- woman. That seems like an unusual job… for you." Sam had never really talked to her about anything important before, just a generic 'how are you' so he'd have an excuse to look at her. It seemed important now though; perhaps her being in his car had something to do with it. Lana raised an eyebrow,

"Why, because I'm too pretty?" Sam thought he may be falling into a trap, but answered truthfully,

"Yeah, that's basically it." Lana gave a small laugh and shook her head. "At least you're honest. Well, its good money, I get benefits, and it gives me time to go to night school." The song ended and another tune began,

_"Let the stars fade and fall, And I won't care at all, As long as I have you. Every kiss brings a thrill…"_ Sam rolled his eyes. Really, _Elvis_? What was his car thinking?

"So you care about benefits. That's it huh?"

Lana sighed, "I was told stripping would get me through college, but yeah, no benefits." It took Sam a moment to realize she was being sarcastic.

"I didn't mean to be rude." He said apologetically. Bee, however, was looking up every definition of 'stripper' he could find and had begun to vibrate softly again. Sam gave a well aimed kick at the tire and the trembling stopped.

"Your fine," Lana was saying, waving his apology off.

"And I do need the benefits. My father is sick and I'm able to put him down as a dependant on my insurance plan." Sam felt like an asshole. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered,

"I'm sorry… I didn't know…" Lana shook her head,

"Not a big deal, I get it a lot. He had an accident and… well, he's not the same. Let's talk about something else." He didn't think she looked upset, but her eyes were pleading and her back was stiff.Sam nodded,

"What's your major?" he asked. She gave a bright smile,

"Law. I will soon be a practicing lawyer. I'm in my last year, it took forever. Especially working around my schedule, I could have graduated last year but… you know… priorities." Sam shook his head in agreement, understanding that she meant taking care of her father was her top priority.

Elvis had stopped crooning and Bon Jovi began to sing,

_"Rainy night and we worked all day. We both got jobs cause there's bills to pay. We got something they can't take away…"_ Lana cleared her throat, tapping the wheel with a nervous index finger. Sam realized the car was vibrating again. This time he tried to ignore it, hoping Lana wouldn't notice.

"Anyway, this car is… it's an orgasm." Sam spluttered and looked incredulous.

"I'm- I'm sorry _what_?"

Lana laughed, "It's a figure of speech Sam. It's a hot car. Although, I think you may need to take it to the shop, it keeps vibrating." Bee had begun to shake harder when the word 'orgasm' had left Lana's lips, his internet search yielding delightful results. Sam kicked the tire again and the vibrations ceased hastily. A new song started however,

_"This wheel's on fire, rolling down the road. Best notify my next of kin, This wheel shall explode!"_

'The Band' rang in Sam's ears, the lyrics pounding in his skull. _His car was a horn dog!_

Lana sighed, "I need to get going, I have a few more houses left on my route, then I need to get home to Dad. Thanks for letting me drool all over your car. It's really sweet."

She tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. Sam reached in and yanked on the lock, kicking the tire once again. He opened the door for her and stepped aside as she slid out of the car. The radio began to play Air Supply;

_"I can't forget it all in just one day. Take some time to speak your mind. But say it's not over, Don't turn me away…" _

Lana gave a crooked smile at the car, "Your radio station is a trip."

Sam laughed nervously, "Yeah well, its satellite, I think it just plays random songs." Lana nodded and walked to the end of the driveway, picking up the mail bag she'd set down when she'd stopped to talk to Sam.

"See you later Sam, you'll have to let me drive the car someday." And with that she was gone, leaving Sam waving at an empty spot as she headed down his street.

Sam turned and looked at the car, his eyes narrowed.

"What was _that?_" There was a pause as the car continued to vibrate.

"Bee, are you ok?" He asked, concerned at the cars shudders. The yellow Camaro gave one last quiver before answering.

"_Who_ was _that_?" The radio was no longer playing and Sam found the absence of sound somewhat missed.

"She's been our mail person for the last two years. I used to have a big crush on her… she was never so interested in me until today… _You_ were a big hit." He said the last bit with a trace of resentment. He'd tried for a good year to get Lana interested in him before he'd put all of his efforts into getting Makayla. Of course, she had always been pleasant with him, but he'd had the distinct feeling that she though he was immature. He paused at that thought; he was sort of immature back then.

"She's _beautiful._" Bumblebee said, putting emphasis on the last word.

Sam looked at his car with raised eyebrows,

"Aren't you supposed to be attracted to femme bots? How can you know what's attractive to humans?" It took a moment for the autobot to reply.

Bee thought carefully in regards what he was about to say,

"I've been on your planet for some time now, and I haven't been in any contact with females of my own race for an even longer time. It's easy to distinguish between beauty and normalcy in your people, and Lana is certainly what humans would call attractive, exceedingly attractive even. It's hard, even for a robot, to have no contact with the opposite sex."

Sam stared at Bee for a moment, processing what he had just said to him.

"So, what you're telling me is that since you've been on earth and learned about us, that you can find our girls… pretty?"

Bumblebee mentally nodded before answering,

"Yes. I feel like I've studied enough of your culture to know what most of you see what as aesthetically pleasing, and I've begun to find it pleasing myself. I'm sure that if a female of my own race were around, I could be attracted to her. That's not the case however. I've seen enough earth women to think that… they have their own special beauty."

Sam narrowed his eyes at the yellow car,

"So do you think Mikeala is hot?" Bee thought that Sam's voice was a bit accusatory, and decided it best to not tell the whole truth at this point.

"I think she's beautiful, but she's only a friend."

It was true enough, but there were times when the autobot found himself staring at her shapely body. Bumblebee was a friend though, and he would never betray Sam even if he wanted to, which he did not. Sam looked relived. It was bad enough that his car was lusting after the mail girl, he didn't know what he would do if Bee wanted to do… whatever it was that robots did sexually, with _his_ girlfriend.

Sam sighed, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that an alien space robot was attracted to a different species. He looked at his car friend. He supposed that Bee wasn't so different from humans. Sure, he was fifteen feet tall and made of metal. And sure, when not in robotic form he tuned into a sleek bright yellow 2008 Chevy Camaro with black racing stripes. But he was a basic human shape, and he had thoughts and feeling just like any other person. And he was also capable of rational human judgment. Sam thought, even though Bumblebee was different, he was the same, and it was ok with him that he liked hot human chicks… as long as it wasn't his girlfriend.

xxx

It was not but an hour after she had walked away from Sam's driveway that Lana returned home to find her house eerily quiet.

"Daddy?" She called.

"Meagan? Is anyone here?"

She dropped her purse on the kitchen table, wondering where Meagan, the nurse who had been hired to watch her father while she was at work and school, could possibly be. It was only on a rare occasions that Meagan would persuade her father into his wheelchair and take him 'sightseeing' around the block. It was good for him to get out of the house and get some fresh air and a change of scenery.

She began flipping on lights as she walked through her old childhood home, peering in each room as she went. The last was her Father's, and the blue light of the TV could be seen from under the closed door. She stiffened at the entrance, the pending feeling of certain disaster enveloping her like a death shroud. She felt icy cold wash over, causing a chill to run up her straight backed spine.

"Dad?"

She asked softly, her voice catching in her throat and ending in a broken sob. The feeling of alarm and terror gripped at her, although she couldn't quite place it. As soon as she opened the creaking door, she knew her father was dead.

xxx

**Songs:** Lil' Bow Wow Basketball, Nelly Its getting hot in her', Elvis As long as I have you, Bon Jovi Born to be my baby, The BandThis wheels on fire, Air supply Don't turn me away.

**Authors Note;** I left this plot open so that I could add more chapters. However, I want feedback! Please tell me what you thought and if you feel I should continue or just keep it a one shot. Or, if you hated it and don't want to see another chapter, just don't review (I guess you could let me know if you really wanted).

I'm sorry to say that I missed the Transformers craze when I was a child (through no fault of my own, my mother said it was 'boy stuff'). The only references I have are the new 2007 movie, which I loved, and Wikipedia. I know this is probably a slap in the face for the die hard Transformers fans, but I really liked the movie and the whole idea of robots coming to earth and saving the world form certain disaster. Its fun to write about and I like the challenge of doing an alien/human romance. Plus, I fell in love with Bumblebee's character. I understand through some of my research that he was originally a yellow VW Bug, and that fans were upset by the change. But I also understand why the filmmakers had to modify his look. A Seventeen year old boy at present day is not likely going to want to drive around a Bug, especially now that its been pegged as a 'girl car.' Besides, the Camaro is hot. It's my new dream to own a car that looks exactly like Bee.

My point is that I would like to keep all of my Transformers stories as true to original form as possible. So if anyone has any kind of information that they think should be incorporated from the comics or TV show, please tell me, and I will consider revising and/or adding it into the plot. Now, enough of my ramblings, off to the review board with you!

Oh and by the way, I named my car Emma. ; )


	2. Chapter 2, The Calm before the Storm

_**Chapter Two: The Calm before the Storm**_

xxx

Sam stared at the end of the driveway, his Camaro purring loudly behinde him. Where the hell was the mail? It was Monday; and the mail certainly ran on a Monday. And there was no holiday to speak of for the rest of the month, the only reason he was even home form school was because of a teacher's conference day. So where was the mail? More to the point,_where was Lana? _Where was the woman who altered her uniform so she wouldn't look "frumpy"? Where was the girl that said his car was an orgasm? The girl that his car had been hyperventilating over since she'd stepped in front of him the previous afternoon and called him _hot_.

Sam felt his eyes rolling for what must have been the hundredth time that day. She'd called his car _hot_. She'd just _had _to egg him on, didn't she? Never mind that she had no idea she was speaking indirectly to a living being. This was _entirely_ her fault. Sam wanted to be swimming at the lake, or catching up with Miles, or poking out his eyeballs with a spoon. He did _not_ want to be sitting in his driveway waiting for the mail on his day off from school.

He sighed and stretched out his legs, feeling his butt begin to go numb from sitting on the concrete for so long.

"So could you talk to me or something? It's bad enough that I'm sitting out in this heat for you, your gonna make me bored to?"

Sam couldn't help that his voice sounded irritated, it was his car that had made him feel this way. Bumblebee had begged for Sam to tell Lana she could take him for a spin.

Sam hadn't thought this was a good idea. For one thing, he had no idea how to tell Mikeala that the reason he was taking his mail person for a ride was because Bee had the hot's for her. Then, when he'd actually convinced himself that this is _exactly _what he would tell her (with Bee to corroborate the story), it turned out that the autobot had _zero_ interest in telling anyone else about his crush.

The second point that made this idea a grim one was the fact that, while Lana had no idea about Bumblebee being a living breathing creature, she did know that Sam was alive. She might see his offer for a car ride as a come on. And worse, what if she thought it really was a come on, and accepted it. She did like his car after all. Maybe she was the type of girl that dug a guy with a sweet ride, no matter how old he was.

And third, and perhaps the most serious of all other details, was the fact that Lana could never know what Bumblebee really was. Bee had become infatuated with the girl at a frighteningly quick rate, and Sam wondered how the bot would take it when it finally sank in that he could never speak to Lana. Bumblebee could never have a conversation with the woman, never reveal his true form. And even if he could, what did he expect? Lana certainly wouldn't be attracted to a 15 foot hunk of metal, and if she was, what would they do together? It was impossible, a tragedy from the start. And Sam would like to end it quickly instead of dragging it out and prolonging the imminent heartbreak and calamity.

Sam was clueless as to how he could explain all this to his girlfriend while not mentioning Bee's part in it. She would most likely knock him out. When Sam had pointed this out to Bumblebee, his car had become very silent. Sam thought that the bot may be having some kind of internal struggle, weighing his options. Lust had won out in the end though, because it turned out that Bee didn't much care what Mikeala would think, only that he got to see Lana again. Sam had a suspicion that Bee had liked the feel of her sitting in the driver's seat a little too much, and reminded himself not to let Mikeala drive any time soon.

"I'm sorry Sam. We don't really have to do this if you don't want to…"

The voice of the Autobot rang in Sam's ears, and he could hear Bee's reluctance in saying it. Bumblebee knew Sam didn't want to be doing this and was willing, however grudgingly, to forget about it and let Sam carry on with his day. It was tempting, but Sam felt guilt and obligation tug at his conscience. Bee was a good friend, and he had done many things for him, first and foremost was being a major contribution to his "winning over" Mikeala. Sam wanted to be a good friend also, and if that meant sitting in his driveway waiting for a girl Bumblebee could _never_ talk to, then so be it.

"It's fine man. I was just giving you a hard time; I really don't mind sitting here." Sam said it as genuinely as he could muster, and Bee began to purr once again. Sam sighed, his eyes focusing back to the mailbox.

"You don't think we missed her, do you?" Bee's question cut through Sam's absence of thought. He looked over at bee incredulously.

"Missed her? Bee, we've been out here since 9 o' clock, you've been out here all morning. How could we miss her?" There was silence, then,

"Well… where is she then?" Sam's eyes rolled again and he looked back to the end of the driveway, ignoring his friend. This day was becoming longer with each passing minute, and Sam felt his patience cord about to snap.

After Lana had left on Saturday, Sam had been bombarded by what he felt was like a game of twenty questions. All his answers had been the same;

"No, I never really talked to her that much before today."

"I used to have a crush on her, but she didn't like me."

"No Bee, I really don't like her anymore."

"Yeah, she's pretty."

All day he had heard this. He'd had to lock himself in his bedroom to get away from the obsessed bot. It had been futile though.

It seemed that Bee had come up with a "great" plan over the long night, and early Sunday morning he'd awoken Sam by honking loudly until the boy had ran out into the driveway still wearing his boxers. Bee had explained very matter-of-factly, that while the mail wouldn't run on Sunday, Sam was off from school on Monday. That would give them both a free day to sit around and wait for Lana to deliver the mail. Then Sam could casually ask if she'd like to take a ride.

Sam had wanted to cry, or perhaps scream. He had been hoping that a nights rest would have caused Bee to forget about Lana, but it apparently had only given him more time to think and form a plan. Sam sighed, it was still a blur how Bee had gotten him to agree to all this; something about making Sam walk to school for the rest of the year.

Sam was about to ask Bee if he cared that he went inside to relive himself, when there was suddenly someone was at the mailbox. Sam jumped up, ready to look busy so Lana wouldn't think he was waiting on her. But before he could grab the basketball only a few feet away, he saw that this was not Lana. This was _definitely_ not Lana. This wasn't even_ close_ to being Lana. It was a woman, but that was where the resemblances ended. The lady was well into her forties, and was rather chunky. Her uniform was regulation to a tee, and her height was at least six inches shorter than Lana's 5'8. She had dull brown hair that hung limply around her face and her matching brown eyes were abnormally large. Sam had to work hard not to make a face, and noticed that Bumblebee had stopped his humming. The bot was obviously just as surprised as he was.

The woman was about to leave for the next house when Sam gathered his wits and called out to her.

"Hey! Excuse me!" He exclaimed. The woman stopped and looked around at him and Sam jogged over to her.

"Hi there." He said, giving her his best innocent smile. She just stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Umm…. I just wanted to know where Lana was." He had intended for it to be a question, but it had ended up a statement as the woman just continued to look at him with the same devoid expression on her face. There was a small moment of silence before the woman spoke,

"Do you know _Lana_ well?" She asked, and the way she had said Lana gave Sam the impression that she didn't much care for the girls outfit adjustments.

"Umm, yeah we're" Sam searched for a title, "… friends." He finished lamely.

The lady raised an eyebrow at him before saying,

"Well, I guess its best you know that her father died last night. She won't be back to her route for a week or so… I assume your heart broken." She said the last sarcastically, and Sam found himself thinking that this woman's personality matched her looks.

"Oh, that's horrible. She was just telling me about him yesterday." Sam had only meant to make it seem as though they knew each other better, but at this the mail carrier raised a brow and spoke,

"She told you about him huh? Did she say what happened to him? Say anything about his accident?" Sam could see that her interest was piqued, and disliked the thought of speaking about Lana and her father like his mail box was the office water cooler. Sam never had been fond of gossips.

"No, I don't know… I never really cared to ask. Thanks for your help."

At this Sam turned on his heel and stalked away from the scandalmonger, walking purposely to his car. When he looked behind him, the unappealing woman had left. The boy felt his heart sink; Lana's father had died… how did that feel? Sam couldn't imagine life without his Father, or his Mother. Parents were supposed to die when you were older, when they had lived a full life and had plenty of Grandchildren. Not like this, and certainly not to Lana who, although he didn't know her well, seemed like a genuinely decent human being.

Sam looked down at Bumblebee.

"Well, bad news. Lana's father died last night, so she won't be around for a while." There was silence, and then a loud sigh.

"That's horrible. Did you find out when the funeral would be?" Bee asked, and Sam was beginning to feel a sense of dread at the question.

"No, I didn't ask… why?"

Bumblebee made a small revving noise that could have been frustration.

"We should go of course." He said in a blunt tone, as though he were speaking to a petulant child. Sam groaned,

"No, no we _shouldn't_ go. We- _**I**_ don't even know her like that. It wouldn't be right for me to just show up at the funeral. It would be… disrespectful." Sam was quite proud of himself for the explanation. It was true too, that was a plus.

Bee would not be dissuaded so easily however.

"It would not be disrespectful. I bet it would be welcomed actually. A drive around might help her feel better. And you can say you were outside and noticed she wasn't there and asked about her. And the new post woman told you her father had passed."

Sam stared at his car.

"You don't think that's a little insensitive? Just to say; _hey, your Dad's dead, but wanna go for a drive with your high school stalker? _Real nice Bee." Sam could feel his eyes going to the back of his head, and tried to stop the newly obtained action. Bumblebee revved his engine again and said,

"It's _not_ insensitive, it thoughtful. I'm telling you, it's the right thing to do." His voice sounded insistent, and Sam felt his heart drop. He had heard that tone before.

"Your going to make me go, aren't you." He said, defeated.

"Of course you have a choice. But I also have a choice to drive you around, and I may not feel like it for a while." Sam groaned. This was cheating.

"Okay, okay! I'll look up the obituary to see when the funeral is. We'll go to the cemetery or something… _Man_."

Sam could feel that obligation sentiment creeping back into him. This was an emotion he was feeling rushed to lose. He didn't like all this sneaking behind Mikeala's back, and he felt like he was cheating, even if he was only doing it for his car. His car for God sakes! Others kids didn't have to worry about their alien cars suddenly getting the hot's for the post woman. They had to worry about gas prices and rims and who they would let carpool with them.

Bumblebee was talking to him again,

"It's Tuesday at 3:00, at The Open Arms Methodist Church downtown. The burial will take place immediately after the service at the Great Oaks Cemetery." There was a considerably long pause after this statement as Sam stared at the Autobot, and the innate car seemed to stare back.

"I hate that you have wi-fi." He said simply, before turning and walking into the house. He could hear Bee purring happily as he left.

xxx

"You're lucky this is after school." Sam said in a tone that conveyed his obvious distaste in the whole matter. It was Tuesday, and Sam was sitting in the front seat of the Camaro, his hands placed loosely on the wheel so passing drivers wouldn't see a self driving vehicle. Sam had skipped out of school early to make it to the burial. There was no real point in going to the actual viewing at the church, this was for Bee after all, and the bot couldn't see Lana from the parking lot and Sam had no interest in going to a funeral. Besides, he couldn't afford to leave school earlier than he already had. He was missing calculus, and that was his worst class.

"_I'm sorry that I'm on the run, I can't go on, I'm gone, I'm gone, It's all a mess, it's not your fault, I tried to warn you from the start"_

Sam glared at the dashboard of his car,

"If that was supposed to be some kind of apology save it, I know you don't really care anyway."

There was silence and Sam though that Bee may have been hurt by the comment.

"Listen Bee, I can't keep doing this. If she doesn't take a ride with you today then that's it. Makayla is going to be wondering where I was in class today, and I can't keep avoiding her."

Sam thought about Mikeala. She would be angry if she knew where he was. She was going to be worried that he wasn't in class, and he had no idea what he was going to tell her. He'd purposely eluded her the entire day, knowing that if he had spoken to her she would have know something was up… he had never been a good liar. Of course, she was probably thinking that something was up right now, he had ignored her all weekend, and he'd not told her he was cutting his last class.

Sam sighed,

"Dammed if I do dammed if I don't." He muttered. Bee said nothing but the radio played softly;

"_And I'm frozen still, Unspoken still, Heartbroken, Remembering something I forgot... Something I forgot."_

The glance Sam threw at the dash was softer, less accusing.

"I'm sorry Bee; I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just thinking about Mikeala. I hope you know that I'm eventually going to have to tell her at least a little bit of what's going on."

The Camero didn't reply, but the music raised an octave.

'_You've got me understanding, Understanding, You've really helped me see I'm finally understanding, Understanding, It's meant so much to me, You've got me understanding, Understanding.'_

Sam smiled, "At least you get it."

The rest of the ride was quiet, and unbeknownst to Sam, Bumblebee was becoming more and more nervous. He wanted to see Lana again, it had become very close to what humans called obsession. But seeing Lana, and talking to Lana, were two different things. And Bumblebee knew that he could never talk to Lana. He was even starting to wish that he had never seen her, never heard her talk or felt her body pressed inside of him.

And what would he say to the other Autobots? They had not spent as much time with humans as Bumblebee had, they would not understand this attraction. Optimus would be ashamed of Bee and the way he was acting. The yellow bot had caused Sam to miss a class, forced him into a task he was reluctant to follow through with, and more than likely caused a strain on the young ones relationship. But it was all secondary. The only thing that mattered was seeing Lana again, and being in as close of contact as he could ever get with her. Even if it was all he would ever get, it would have to be enough.

They pulled into the cemetery, and Sam could see the precession of cars that had already arrived. They were towards the back of the graveyard, so Bee made his way past them to get closer to the freshly hallowed earth.

"Try to stay a safe distance away from everyone. I'll try and get Lana's attention when everyone starts to leave." Sam told Bee, straining his neck to try and see if Lana was one of the people crowded around the grave.

Bumblebee parked a safe distance away from the mourners, close enough to see everything, but far enough away that they didn't look suspicious. A boy who was visiting a family member buried here perhaps. Sam exited the car and walked to the passenger's side, the feet making a crunching noise on the graveled road. He leaned on the door and watched the funeral. It was the only one in the entire graveyard taking place, and Sam was sure that even though he couldn't see Lana, this was her father's burial.

It was only ten minutes later that the crowd began to disperse, dwindling down to two people. One was clearly Lana, tall and ridged, her long black dress fluttering over her ankles as the wind blew past her. Her long golden hair whipped out behind her as the weather began to turn, and she lowered her head. The other figure was male, standing much taller than Lana, and he was on the opposite side of the tombstone. His hair was blonde also, but lighter, and his nose and lips were a different shape than Lana's. But they had the same green eyes, and Sam knew it must be her brother.

Sam watched as the man walked around the grave to stand next to his sister. The man looked down, as Lana was, at their father's headstone. Sam watched as he began to speak, and although he couldn't hear the words, he could feel the tension around the two of them. Sam could only guess as to what they were saying.

xxx

"I'm sorry Lana… I know this hasn't been easy on you."

Lana could feel him next to her, feel the warmth form his body, and couldn't decide if she wanted to wrap up into it, or recoil from it.

"I know your sorry Max."

Her voice was dead and hallow, and Max scowled down at her.

"Don't be like that Lana. You're my sister; I'm always here for you."

Lana looked up at him. He hadn't changed much since the last time she had seen him, he seemed taller.

She looked back down at her father's grave, pained at how much his son looked like him.

'_Why can't he be more like him?'_ She found herself thinking, then shrugged off the thought.

"How long are you here Max?"

Max looked uncomfortable,

"Only tonight, I have a flight in the morning back to Europe."

Lana nodded, it didn't surprise her. Their father was dead and Max was only staying long enough to glimpse the grave. That was her brother.

There was another long silence as they both looked down at the freshly upturned earth. Lana felt like she was being sucked into a dark hole, devoid of all emotion. She hadn't even cried yet.

"At least you got the house." Max said in a consoling voice. Lana cut her eyes to him briefly.

"All I got was debt." She replied.

A long pause, and then,

"Max, I'm selling the house."

She hadn't meant to tell him. She had even been playing with the idea of calling him after the house was sold and she was moved out. The reaction was predictable.

"You're _what_?" He asked, looking at her sternly.

"Max, I have college bills, I have medical bills, I have bad credit, and now I have a house that I can't afford since Dad is gone. You are more than welcome to have the house." She said, automatically putting herself on the defensive side.

Max was turning red in the face.

"What do you mean I can have the house Lana? I go to Iraq in two weeks; I live an entire_ sea_ away. It's not my fault that when Dad got hurt you decided to keep him home and take care of him. I _told_ you to put him into a nursing home Lana. I told you that. And now you have debt? Well what did you think? You should have put college on the back burner if you knew you couldn't afford it."

Lana felt her anger rise.

"Oh like _you_ put _your_ life on hold? You went straight into the Army as soon as Dad got hurt. You didn't even stay to see if we were alright Max. You come home _once_ a year if we're lucky, and now you're pissed because I can't afford to keep the house? Well guess what, I don't give a shit. It's yours if you want it, if not, then I'm putting it up for sale. I can't stay there Max. I can't keep walking down the same halls, knowing that this is where he was sick. You have childhood memories. All I have is sickness and death. _I can't keep it_."

She could feel tears beginning to sting her eyes, but lifted her chin in defiance, looking squarely into her brother's face.

Max clenched his jaw, his teeth beginning to grind.

"This is all your fault."

Lana raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Max shook his head,

"Nothing." He said flatly.

"No, say it Max. Tell me why all of this is my fault, since it always is anyway."

Max snorted, "Oh please. You are not some helpless little girl anymore. It's your fault Lana. Mom left because of you, and Dad died because of you."

Lana glared at her brother. "You think this is _my_ fault?"

"IT _IS_ YOUR FAULT!" Max yelled, his temper getting the best of him.

"You were born second, and Mom left after _you_. Dad died because he was on his was to see _you_. You and your stupid spoiled self. This is _your_ fault. _You_ are the one who hired Meagan. _You_ were the one who was supposed to be responsible for Dad, and now he's dead. HE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

There were facing each other, faces inches apart. Lana took a deep breath.

"Are you done?" She asked, her voice controlled. Max glared at her then took a step back.

"I'm done." He said, his voice low and seething.

"Sell the house Lana, I don't care. But you don't have a Mother, you don't have a Father, and now you don't have a Brother either." Max turned and stalked away from her, yanking open his car door and driving off at a frantic speed.

Lana didn't watch him go. Instead she just looked down at the grave.

"I'm sorry Daddy. I'm sorry I didn't take better care of you."

She wiped at her eyes and turned away from the headstone. She faltered halfway to her car when she saw the yellow Camaro parked down the road. Sam gave her a little wave, motioning her to come to him.

xxx

Sam felt something akin to nausea welling up inside of him, and for one heart stopping moment he thought he might throw up. Lana was walking towards him, and he had no idea what he was going to say to her. Not only was he intruding on her Fathers funeral, but there was no way she would believe that he hadn't heard her brother yelling at her. Even at his and Bumblebee's distance they could hear the man's shouting. Bee had revved his engine in anger, but Sam had warned him not to take any kind action.

Although there had been a horrible moment when Sam thought the man might hit Lana, and had felt Bumblebee shifting into Autobot form behind him. But Bee had only moved a couple of wheels and the trunk before stopping and settling back into car form as the man took a step away from Lana, and then had left.

"Hi there." Sam said as Lana reached his and the car. She was a little red rimmed around the eyes, but looked composed.

"What are you doing here Sam?" She asked him. Sam shrugged,

"I don't really know. I saw that you weren't delivering the mail on Monday and asked the new lady what happened to you. She said your father passed away, so I thought I'd come and give you my… condolences."

Sam swore he saw Lana's eyes fill with tears.

"Really? That's so considerate Sam."

The car made a slight revving noise behind them, and Sam knew Bee was being smug.

"_Anyway_, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to take Bee for a drive. I thought it might, you know, help."

Lana smiled. "That would be wonderful. You'll have to bring me back to my car though."

She gestured and Sam looked at the old brown junker parked at the side of the road.

"Not a problem." He answered. Lana gave a small happy squeak and ran around to the driver's side. Sam smiled at her child-like reaction and slipped into the passenger's side.

Ten minutes later they were on open road, and Lana was smiling over at Sam.

"This was really thoughtful of you Sam." She told him, her eyes cutting back to the road. Sam said nothing as he relaxed into his seat. Lana was a good driver, and he felt calm as she became comfortable with the car.

'_Nothin' makes me more happy than to know, That I have such a close friend To know that you're down for me is reassuring, It's the reason I'm always smilin.' _

Bee's radio played softly, and Sam smiled at it.

"I'm really sorry about your Dad." He said sincerely.

Lana nodded, the smile fading,

"I know you are. It's ok. He was sick for a long time; he's in a better place."

Sam wanted to ask why he was sick, why he'd gotten hurt, but didn't think that Lana was ready or willing to talk about that just yet. Not with him anyway.

Bumblebee was happy. He was, of course, sad that her Father had passed. But he couldn't help liking that she was sitting inside him again, and actually driving him this time. Her thumbs were rubbing across his wheel and her body was molded into the seat, and Bee let himself become completely distracted. He focused all his attention on her, on her words, on her body, on her scent. And distraction was never a good thing.

Lana sighed,

"This day can end now." She said, her voice sounding tired.

Sam looked over at her.

"I'm sure it's been a long day." He said. Lana gave a small laugh.

"You have no idea." She said, accelerating a bit. She turned down a moderately busy road and continued at her speed.

"You know Sam; I hope you know you're too young for me…"

Sam pressed his lips together,

"Yeah, I know. This isn't a come on or anything. That would be pretty heartless of me. I just though you might need a friend."

Lana was quiet, and Sam thought that she may not have heard him. She was looking in the rear view mirror, her eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry Sam." She said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Huh?" Sam asked, trying to look out the back window.

"I must have been speeding. Oh, this day couldn't get any worse."

Lana began to pull the car to the shoulder, and Sam felt his heart stop.

Behind them was flashing lights, and a 2007 Saleen police cruiser. _Barricade_.

_**xxx**_

Songs: Elefant; My Apology, Annie Lennox; The Saddest Song I've Got, Bob Seger; Understanding, JoJo; The Happy Song

Author's note: As of this very second it is 11:33 pm, and I am very tired. I wanted to finish this before tomorrow though, so Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate. I hope you liked it. Forgive me for any grammatical errors, as I said it's late, and I will try to fix them later.

I wanted to explain a few things before I head off to bed.

First off; the response to this story is overwhelming, and I want to thank not only everyone who reviewed, but everyone who has read. It is flattering and appreciated. I want to give a special thanks to Thoughts in Chaos for my first review EVER, and her stellar advice via e-mail. You are AWESOME!

Second; an explanation on my behalf. For months now I've been working on a different fan fiction, and what was originally simply titled _Vibrations_ was written in a moment of writers block. When I posted my other story, no one reviewed (no one has still), and I posted Forbidden Temptation on whim. I added the possibility to have it continued, and here I am, finishing a second chapter. The point is, it was supposed to be a one shot at first, and so Lana didn't get a whole lot of character development. Now, I hope, there is less "Mary Sue" and more of a genuine person behind the _"super model body."_ I want to give a big thanks to ShadowDemon-Gengar. Your advice was taken not as a flame or in any way hurtful. It was productive, and useful, and much appreciated.

And third;

"Barricade's disappearance from the film is puzzling. It appears he was originally meant to be destroyed, as both the novel and comic adaptations of the movie depict his destruction by Optimus Prime, who had both destroyed Bonecrusher and was delayed in joining the humans and fellow Autobots. (Alternatively the children's chapter book adaption of the film _The Transformers Quest for the Allspark_ describes Barricade as being destroyed by the US military.) Regardless, in the movie proper Barricade simply does not appear again after Bonecrusher transforms. Since his remains are not seen among the Decepticon parts being buried at sea, it is possible he survived."

Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have stated in a recent interview that Barricade's disappearance from the remainder of the film is a "thread for Movie 2"

Taken from: wikipedia


	3. Chapter 3, More than Meets the Eye

_Chapter Three: More than Meets the Eye_

_xxx_

"I'm _always_ Bad Cop. And don't bother asking for the good cop. I killed him."

Barricade

_xxx_

'_A little yellow bee out for a drive.'_

The thought was malicious, and Barricade was smiling as only the Decepticon knew how. Deep inside of him a malevolent delight rose up, making his metal body tingle, filling him with crude shocks of power.

There was energy all around him; it had been there for weeks. It was what made him seek out the mini-bot and his human. There was a force that pulled him to continue in his previous journey and seek the life force that commanded them all.

All hope of life had not been dashed when the All Spark had been destroyed by that brat human boy. He knew it now, and the Autobots could hide their secret no longer. Even Starscream, deep in space, could feel the force that was pulling him back to Earth.

'_With some friends of course'_ Barricade though wickedly.

He watched the Yellow car from a distance, tailing far behind as it pulled into a human burial site.

'_Disgusting.'_ He though to himself… then changed his mind quickly.

'_No, this is where this entire pitiful race deserves to be, deep in the cold earth, no longer able to see the light of day.' _The reflection made him as close to happy as he'd ever been, imagining all of the human race falling to its knees, bowing their heads. Only to have those heads cut off.

'Ha!' He barked in sick humor.

It surprised Barricade to see that the Autobot and the boy had picked up an extra passenger; he could feel the female presence inside of the car. It was perfect. An ideal time to attack was now, when Bumblebee was so obviously distracted. The little pest of a Bot hadn't even felt his presence. He would be completely caught off guard when Barricade attacked.

'_Time to show you what a Decepticon is capable of,' _Barricade thought wryly, pulling up behind the Camaro and activating his lights.

'_Show time.'_

_xxx_

Sam could feel his heart stop beating. He could see his life flashing before his eyes. The car was actually slowing down; Bumblebee was actually allowing himself to be pulled to the curb.

"Bee what are you doing?" Sam croaked, his voice strained and panicked. Lana looked over at him, confused.

"What are you talking about Sam?" She asked, distracted, trying to find a safe place to pull over.

Sam ignored her and hit the dashboard.

"Screw secrecy Bee this is an emergency!" He yelled.

He felt the car shudder and begin to accelerate a fraction.

Then suddenly there was a jolt, and Sam whipped around in time to see Barricade rear end the Camaro.

"BEE GO!"

He could hear a reluctant sigh,

"Get her in the back seat Sam."

Lana looked around, her hands tightening on the wheel.

"What the hell's going on Sam?" She asked, her voice full of fear. The car was pulling back into traffic, gaining speed with every second, the police cruiser close behind.

"_The back seat Sam_!" Bumblebee boomed over his speakers.

"_Shit_." Sam reached over and unbuckled Lana's seatbelt.

"Come on, get in the back." He said, trying to pull her from behind the wheel.

"What are you doing Sam? We're going to wreck!" Lana screeched holding fast to the steering wheel. Then Bee made a sharp turn and Lana was forced to let go as they veered into the left lane of traffic. Lana was jostled into Sam's arm, and in the disarray he was able to push her into the backseat.

"Holy shit," Sam could hear Lana say from behind him. He tightened his seatbelt and looked back at her. She was staring at the wheel, moving through traffic of its own accord.

"Sam, what the hell is going on?"

There was another jerk form the back of the car as Barricade hit their bumper once more. Lana's shoulder was tossed into the passenger's seat and she made a sharp hissing noise of pain. Sam could feel the car accelerate.

"Lana, I'll explain everything later, but right now you need to lay on the floor."

There was fear in Sam's voice, and Lana knew he was being serious. She nodded and curled down onto the floor, her face pressing into the mat and her nails digging into her palms as she felt the car being rear ended for a third time.

"Bee… what's Barricade doing alive?" Sam asked grimly, gripping the sides of his seat and straining his neck to try and keep Barricade in his sights.

"He wasn't ever at Mission City, Optimus knew he was alive but didn't want to worry anyone just yet. We weren't sure if he was still even on the planet." Bumblebee said swerving to miss a mini van packed full of kids.

"Less talking Sam." The Bot said shortly.

Sam tried to take a deep breath, but found it caught in his throat as he looked out his window and saw Barricade pull up next to Bee.

"Fuck."

On an impulse, Sam gathered his wits and rolled down the window.

"Hey asshole!!"

A hologram appeared in the police cars drivers' seat and looked out at Sam. Sam swallowed, finding his voice gone.

Then, not really knowing what he was doing, he flicked off Barricade's semi transparent human form. The figure gave a sinister smile and disappeared.

Sam's window rolled up.

"Cut it out Sam." The mini-bot said sternly, but Sam could hear the humor laced in his voice. The yellow car made a sudden turn down a less populated street and Sam's face hit his window.

"WARN ME NEXT TIME!" He yelled, clutching his jaw. Bee swerved as he gained control of his wheels and continued down the road, ignoring Sam.

Eighty miles and hour, ninety miles and hour, ninety five. Barricade was still following just behind, sticking close to Bumblebees bumper. Small droplets of rain began to fall and Bumblebee found the extra possibility for cover welcomed.

"Sam!" It was Lana. Sam turned in his seat and looked down at the girl huddled on the floor.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm hurt!" She yelled, turning her head to glare at him.

Before Sam could ask if she was okay, Bumblebee's voice boomed in his ears.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Lana's eyes widened at the sound of the displaced voice. She lifted her left arm and showed Sam her palm. There was blood running from her hand and down her wrist, and Sam saw than in her panic she had dug one of her long manicured nails into her palm. The ring fingers nail had then broken off, and was still deeply embedded in her hand. Sam made a face.

"My shoulder hurts too." Lana said in a small voice.

Sam clenched his jaw, trying to thicken his skin.

"Just hold in there, we'll be safe soon." He said, and Lana nodded and buried her head back into the floor mat.

"I'm turning." Bee said, and Sam braced himself this time as the Camaro sharply veered left. The sound of Barricades siren still wailed in Sam's ears, and he knew they hadn't lost him.

"Optimus and Ironhide will be here soon." Bumblebee said, sensing Sam's dismay.

Losing Barricade was getting harder and harder, and Bee had been forced to send out the signal for help. He had purposely traveled far away from the Autobots current hide out, not wanting to give Barricade a clue as to where they were currently hiding. This of course meant that it would take longer for his leader and the weapons specialist to reach him.

"Oh thank God." He heard Sam breath. Bumblebee grimaced; he didn't want to tell the boy that the appearance of back up would be a long time coming. Instead he pushed his speed, breaking 100 miles per hour. Barricade once again pulled up along side him, and had Sam and Lana not been in the car Bumblebee would have tried to side swipe him. Instead it was Barricade that did the side swiping, and Bee could feel Sam being jerked around inside him.

Bumblebee's tire's squealed and skidded as he quickly turned around in the middle of the road. He sped off as hastily as he could, the smell of burning rubber strong and pungent, and turned down the first side road he saw. Barricade still followed, but it was now at a considerably further distance. Bumblebee could see a corn field coming up on his right, and as soon as he came to it he went off road and crashed through the stalks. Barricade followed seconds later, but it was difficult for the Decepticon to pursue his query through the tall corn shoots.

Sam held his hands on the dash and leaned back in his seat, his eyes wide.

"What are you doing Bee?" He asked, his voice cracking.

Suddenly the Camaro slammed to a stop.

"Get out." He said sharply. Sam sat immobile and the Autobot said louder,

"Sam, _get out_!"

Sam didn't need to be told a third time. Unbuckling his seatbelt he practically fell out of the car door as it opened for him. The passenger seat moved forward and Sam reached in to pull out Lana. He could hear the sound of corn stalks breaking that signaled to approach of Barricade.

"Hurry Sam," Bumblebee urged, revving his engine slightly.

Sam clasped Lana's uninjured hand and pulled her from the backseat unceremoniously. Lana cursed, but was cut off as Barricade came flying through the field, beginning to transform in mid-air.

Lana watched, mouth agape, as the bright yellow Camaro she had just been riding in began to shift its form. What was clearly legs, a torso, arms, and a small head with bright blue eyes appeared. It was a _robot_. Lana felt a tug on her arm and saw that Sam was trying to get her to move away from the two large forms, now taking defensive stances across from one another. She took a few slow steps backwards, shock and disbelief making it unable for her to tear her eyes away from the huge metal figures.

Sam grimaced; all he could do was watch and hope that he had good enough reflexes to pull himself and Lana out of the way if a giant hunk of metal decided to fall on them.

_xxx_

Bumblebee looked angrily at his opponent, feeling a hate rise up in him that was uncommon for the young bot. He could see Sam and Lana in his peripheral vision, and cursed them silently for not running to safety.

"_Fool." _Barricade spat, inching slightly closer to Bumblebee.

The yellow bot shook his head,

"You are the foolish one Barricade. Challenging me _again_?" Bumblebee waved a finger at him as a mother might do to a naughty child.

"_Very_ foolish. If you need taught another lesson though, I'll be happy to provide one."

Barricade growled deep in his throat.

"You will not be so smug, little pest, when I am ripping out your vocal processor."

Bumblebee cocked his head,

"Why Barricade, you're speaking in human tongues. Perhaps you hate this race less than you thought."

It was meant to spur the Decepticon on, to provoke him into reckless and impulsive actions. If Bumblebee knew Barricade well enough, he knew what buttons to push, and telling the bot that he was embracing anything human was a definite hot button. As expected Barricade screamed in frustration and lunged towards Bee.

Bumblebee braced himself, his feet digging into the earth as he caught a hold of the Decepticon and pushed him to the left of the corn field, away form Sam and Lana. Barricade untangled himself from the yellow bot, pushing him to the ground. Bumblebee landed on his side, causing the earth to shake from the impact. He was quickly back on his feet though, speedy as ever, and throwing punch after punch Barricades way.

Lana tried to swallow, tried to breath, but could only feel her head begin to spin.

"Lana, you have to move. See the Transformers? Their really big, and if they land on us, we're dead."

Sam was tugging on her arm again, and this time her brain was able to react properly. Her feet began to move and she followed Sam farther away from the two fighting giants.

"Sam what's going on?" She asked, her voice rough and raspy.

Sam sighed, pulling her back towards the road they had just left from, the rain beginning to fall in a steady curtain. As they stepped onto the asphalt Sam squinted in both directions, looking for two familiar figures. Nothing was in sight.

Loud metallic clanging drew his attention to the two bots battling in the corn field. They were both clearly visible, and they were quickly flattening the corn stalks. Barricade had managed to push Bumblebee back down to the ground, and was kicking with all his might at the mini-bots face and torso.

Sam felt panic rise up in him, much akin to the time when Sector Seven had Bee captured and helpless on the ground.

"Hey asshole, leave him alone!"

This caused Barricade to stop and look around. Sam's yell had gotten the desired response, and had caused Barricade to stop his thrashing on Bumblebee's body, but now he was moving towards him and Lana. _Bad idea._

The Decepticon had only taken a step towards him however when Bee's foot lashed out and tripped Barricade. The black bot fell face first in the dirt and Bumblebee jumped to his feet, his car door "wings" flickering. Sam though he looked a bit dented, but it was nothing that Ratchet couldn't fix.

Sam grabbed Lana's hand and pulled her down the road, his eyes searching the area for somewhere to hide. Sam could hear the metal scratching and clanging of battle, and resolved to not look.

Then from behind him Sam could hear a noise that was close to the sound of heaven. _A semi engine._ Sam whipped around to see the large blue and red semi and the GMC pick-up making their way down the road a frightening speed.

"What's that?" Lana asked, clutching at Sam's forearm.

San smiled, "That's Optimus."

_xxx_

Barricade could hear Optimus approaching, and resolved that it was time to leave. He pushed Bumblebee off of him threw him to the ground, holding him down by placing one heavy foot on the bot's chest.

"_You think you are so clever fool, but you will not think so for long. I know what you have." _Barricade spat, this time in his own language. At this, Barricade jumped off Bee, running through the corn stalks and changing back into the police cruiser.

Bumblebee sat up carefully, watching the Decpticon tear out of the field and onto the road. For one frightening moment he was sure that Barricade would hit Sam and Lana, but the boy skirted them out of the way as Barricade flew past.

When Optimus reached the part of the road level to Bumblebee he immediately transformed, but Ironhide only stopped momentarily to declare that he was, _"Going after that Decepticon scum."_ The truck then tore off in Barricades wake, causing exhaust fumes and dirt to billow up in his path.

Bumblebee didn't move, only gave a small wave at Optimus as the large bot looked out at him from the road. Bee felt dread building up in him. This was it; he was in for it now. He'd exposed their race to another human, engaged in combat with a Decpticon, endangered the lives of two humans, and caused Sam to skip class…and for what?

Bumblebee looked over at Lana, her grip on Sam's arm tight and her body trembling as she made her way to Optimus. And with the knowledge of certain doom, the mini bot knew that it had all been worth it.

_xxx_

Authors Note: Well, here it is. Enjoy! Another special thanks to Thoughts in Chaos for her help with a question I had. If you keep this up you'll get a special thanks on every chapter. :)

And also… I'm going to go ahead and warn everyone that the next chapter may take a bit longer in posting. The story is getting a smidgen more complex, and I need to iron out some details.

I want to thank everyone for reviewing, I love you all. Please, go ahead and do it again, tell me what cha think!

Oh, and I hope I captured the essence of Barricade. He's seems pretty cutthroat and devious, but if you think I got it all wrong, let me know. I always appreciate constructive criticism.


	4. Chapter 4, When life gives you Lemons

_**  
Chapter Four: When life gives you lemons…**_

_**xxx**_

Lana griped Sam's shoulder. There were two of them. And they were to close to her, much to close. _Robots._

She had to be dreaming, had to be in a deep sleep. Her father hadn't died, her brother hadn't disowned her, and a Camaro and a Semi hadn't just turned into _giant talking robots_.

A sharp pain brought her back to reality, like a knife's sharp blade, and she looked down at her hand. Blood was running down her palms and dripping off her fingertips. Lana gritted her teeth, and without a second thought reached down and yanked the broken nail out of her palm. A soft hissing noise emitted between her teeth and Sam looked over at her

"You ok?" He asked.

Lana balled up her fist, trying to stop the blood flow. She wanted to speak, but her voice seemed permanently caught in her throat, so she only nodded.

"**Sam!" **

The voice was deep and booming, and Lana jumped and cowered behind the boy. She noticed that Sam jumped to, and felt all confidence that he could protect her immediately snuffed out

"Yeah?" Sam answered, his voice sounding strangely small and diminutive.

The large robot took the few steps that were left to close the space between Sam and Lana and dropped to one knee. Lana could hear the rain splattering off his metal body, and she sucked in a breath as his face lowered to their eye level

"Are you hurt Sam?" The blue and red bot asked, only feet away, in what Lana registered was a kind voice but caused her to fear him no less.

"I'm ok, I think Lana is hurt though." Sam answered.

Lana wanted to hit him.

"_Shhh!"_ She hissed, giving Sam a sharp jab with her fist to his ribs. She heard him mumble _'ow'_ and rolled her eyes, it hadn't even been that hard.

The large automaton said nothing, only nodded, before standing to his full height and turning hands-on-hips to look out into the corn field. Lana followed his gaze and saw that the yellow robot was still sitting where he had just been fighting, looking at all of them warily. Lana felt her head begin to spin and thought that maybe, just maybe, she was going to pass out.

_**xxx**_

Bumblebee watched with mounting apprehension as he listened to Optimus ask Sam if he was injured. His leader was… upset, to say the very least. He had seen the way Optimus had scanned his optics over Lana, concluding that this was indeed _not_ Mikeala. And this bit of information had not made the large Autobot happy; it meant that Bumblebee had some serious explaining to do.

Explaining was _not _something that Bee wanted to do. What would he say?

'_Well Optimus, I coerced Sam into letting her drive me because I think she's pretty'._

That would not go well. If only Barricade had kept true to his promise and 'ripped out his vocal processor'.

The thought of Barricade made Bumblebee grimace. The Decepticon had managed to throw Bumblebee to the ground and keep him in place with one foot. That was a 'win' in the mini bot's book. It was then perhaps a good thing that Bee still had his voice. There was a lot that his leader needed to know, and first and foremost was the fact that Barricade _knew_.

Deep in his wiring Bumblebee was certain that Barricade hadn't been making a stab in the dark, he knew what they were hiding, what the Autobot's had placed as more valuable than their own lives.

Bumblebee saw that Optimus was now looking over at him. They were _all _looking out at him. The bot stood slowly, trying to delay the awaiting questioning for as long as he could. It was then he noticed Lana sway.

"Catch her Sam!"

Sam jumped a little and looked around. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Lana's waist as her knees buckled. Her fall had taken him by surprise however, and he was forced to gently lay her unconscious body on the asphalt.

Bumblebee jogged towards them, shaking the earth around him with every step. As he reached Lana's unmoving form he looked down at her, concern etched on his metal face. Rain was soaking dirt and grim into her hair and dress, and she looked very pale.

"She is in no immediate danger, but she must return with us for… questioning." Optimus said, looking significantly at Bee.

Bumblebee nodded, trying not to think about the disappointment he had just seen in his leader's eyes. He transformed swiftly into his car form and let his passenger door swing open.

Optimus, seeing the struggle Sam was going through to try and lift the young woman, reached down his hand and scooped up Lana. Sam was able to help maneuver her into back seat after that, and was feeling relived as he began to slip into the front seat.

"Sam, ride with me. I want to talk to you."

Sam froze, his body halfway in the car- his hand resting on the steering wheel, and looked up at the now transformed semi. Bumblebee gave a little shudder and Sam looked down at the wheel

"What do I say?" He asked, his voice a panicked whisper.

"I don't know… just… just tell the truth." Bee answered, his voice holding an obvious tone of regret.

Sam grimaced and nodded, shutting the door firmly and running to the semi, hoisting himself up into the cab and settling down in the passenger's seat. The engine gave a loud roar before it jerked forward, cruising down the abandoned road at a sensible speed.

Sam tried to relax, but found his body stiff and achy and his nerves on high alert. The heat was on, a fact he was grateful for as his clothes were soaked through.

Sam liked Optimus, respected him and thought of him as a friend, but he was also a bit scarred of him. Truth be told, he was _a lot_ scarred of him. The big Autobot radiated authority and strength, and his voice, disappointed and stern, was frightening to Sam.

Trying not to think about the up and coming conversation they were sure to have, Sam looked out the rear view window to check on Bumblebee. He had said,_tell the truth_. And what else could Sam do really? There was no way he was going to be held responsible for all of this. And at any rate, there wasn't even an excuse he could think of that would explain it all away.

Sam sighed, life had become complicated again, and just when it had seemed like things might be getting back to normal. Or at least, as normal as they could have been, all things considered.

"Sam, tell me what happened today." Optimus's voice rang out through the speakers.

Sam swallowed hard, throwing a look at Bumblebee in the mirror before hurling himself into the last few days' events. He sincerely hoped that Bee was having a better time with Lana.

_**xxx**_

The heat was on full blast in the Camaro, warming Lana to the toes. She was curled into a ball in the back seat, her mind aware of nothing but the marvelous warmth that was surrounding her. She had been _so_ cold, but why?

The thought plagued her, and as much as she tried to just let her tired body sink into the leather seats, she couldn't shake the felling that something was wrong. She opened heavy eye lids, scanning her surroundings.

A car, she was in a car. Sam's car, his pretty yellow Camaro.

Lana sat straight up._The robot car!_ She could have cried, she actually felt tears begin to well up in the corners of her eyes. She was in the demon car, and she was alone. Sam was gone.

"Please let me out." She said, her voice mouse like.

The car jerked a little, swerving slightly into the opposite lane of traffic.

Bumblebee had been caught off guard by the question; he hadn't even realized she was awake.

He tried to focus, and realized what she had asked, "I can't do that… I'm sorry."

Lana could feel her lip begin to tremble and cursed herself silently. She was Lana Halifax, daughter of Chad Halifax, and she was raised to stick out her jaw and thicken her skin. _She would not cry._ She had already done quite enough of that in front of her brother

"You're keeping me prisoner then? Let me out!" Her voice held more strength this time, more insistence.

"You're not a prisoner! Optimus just wants to talk to you. Please sit down."

Lana had begun to climb into the front seat. She grabbed the passenger side door handle and yanked on it. The door held fast and Lana made a small cry of frustration before sliding in the driver's seat. She tried futilely to turn the wheel, but it refused to budge, and only succeeded in aggravating her further.

"There's no way out of this. Just come with us and talk to Optimus, you are not a prisoner."

There was a brief silence as Lana said nothing.

"This is all my fault anyway." Bumblebee said, sounding miserable.

Lana glared at the wheel. "I don't care whose fault it is, I want to go home! I don't want to talk to Opium- or whatever the hell his name is, I want to go home!"

Bumblebee sighed, "Optimus" he corrected.

"And I'm sure you'll be able to return home after you speak with him. He just wants to know what happened today, and who you are."

"What if I don't tell him?"

There was silence, and Lana folded her arms together and looked haughtily out the window.

"If you don't talk, I suppose you won't leave." Bumblebee said, his voice firm but gentle.

He didn't think that Optimus would make her stay if she decided not to talk, but it would benefit everyone if she did. Even if it was only to tell them she didn't know anything.

Lana was glaring at the wheel again "And that's not holding someone prisoner?"

Bumblebee remained quiet, knowing no response would be the best kind. The silence stretched on from seconds to minutes, and Lana returned to watching the scenery out the window.

"What was that thing? Why was it chasing us?" Her voice held no warmth, but the question had entered her head and she couldn't shake it.

Bumblebee was happy to answer any of her questions. "That was Barricade, he's a Decepticon."

Lana raised one perfectly arched brow, "Decepti-… what's that mean?"

"Decepticon. They are the other half of my race, the half that works against us. I come from another planet, Cybertron."

And with that Bee was no longer so worried about Optimus and the events of the day. He was instead immersed in explaining Megaton and his following of Decepticons, Cybrtron and the Allspark, and the events leading up to the battle at Mission City.

Lana, forgetting to be angry, was an apt listener. She asked questions at all the right times and hung to everything Bee was saying. When she realized that she was showing an interest in the story, she shrugged it off. She had seen that big semi, and she knew that as opposed to being taken anywhere against her will as she was, she would rather have Bee as a friend to give her a little extra leverage. The yellow car kept saying that his leader was kind and fair, but that made Lana no less weary of him. No, better to stay friendly with Bumblebee in case anything unnatural happened.

That almost made Lana laugh, what could be more unnatural than this?

"So, that was you, the Autobots and the Decepticons, in Mission City?" Lana asked.

"That was us. It was then that the Allspark was destroyed. It was Sam who accomplished it." Bumblebee said, his voice full of pride for his human.

"_Sam_. Sam Witwicky? You're kidding."

Bumblebee chuckled, "No, he was very brave. He saved us all, even you."

Now that took Lana off balance. Sam saved the world? Sam risked his life not only his race, but aliens from a different planet?

Lana though that maybe this was all some big joke, and began scanning the car for hidden cameras. But no, not only were there no cameras, Lana remember the transformation of the cars, and the look of Bumblebee's face. If this was a joke, it was the most elaborate Lana had ever seen, and she was sure no one would waste that kind of time on her.

So this was real. All of this was no dream, no hallucination. It was actually happening, and to her of all people. Why? What had made Sam come and pick her up, and from her father's funeral, of all days?

Lana chewed on her lower lip, "Bee... Sam likes me, doesn't he?"

Again the car swerved, righting itself into the correct lane of traffic hastily.

"_What?"_

Lana sighed, "Well why else would he come pick me up if he didn't? That's why all this is happening, isn't it? I gonna _kill _him!"

Bumblebee remained quiet. What could he say really? _No, it was me who wanted to see you, I just dragged Sam alone for the ride. _Not bloody likely, but his mind was rushing all the same to think of something to say, something that wouldn't incriminate himself.

It was too late however, seeing as they had finally pulled up to the Autobot hideout.

"We're here."

Lana looked out her window; they had stopped in front of a mountain. She peered at it, and realized abruptly that she knew where she was. Her and her father used to go hiking here, when she was a little girl.

"What's this?" Lana asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"This is it, this is where we stay, our hide-out." Bumblebee answered, glad that she could see nothing different about the small peak, it meant that they had picked the right place.

It was called Wakpahe, from an old Native American name that meant River Peak, and it was just outside of Tranquility. It was settled picturesquely against a large lake, an old dirt road running between the two

"This is just an old mountain… where could you stay?" Lana asked.

Bumblebee chuckled, moving toward the mountain until he was almost touching a particularly flat area

"You should probably step out." Bee said kindly.

Lana nodded and exited the car, stepping back quickly at the whirring and clicking that signified Bumblebee's transformation. A few feet away Sam was climbing out of the semi.

Lana looked up at the yellow bot, and he look back down at her, a small smile gracing his features.

"Optimus has to stay in vehicle form to enter, he's too big to get through at his regular height." He said.

Lana nodded and Bee continued talking.

"After Mission City, we had no where to go. We wanted to stay close to Sam, but also be somewhere that was a convenient place to hide. The government came up with this location. Caves already existed inside of the mountain, but with some well placed explosives, and some high tech gear, they were able to carve an area inside of the mountain for us Autobot's to live."

Bumblebee reached up an arm and pushed firmly at the center of the flat side of the mountain. With what looked like little force, the rock glided forward, before sliding over to reveal a wide opening.

The semi revved its engine, and Sam, Lana, and Bee all stepped aside to let the large truck drive through.

Lana looked wide eyed at the opening. It was immense, almost half the size of the mountain itself. Sam nudged her with an elbow, and she shook her head in disbelief and moved forward, following Bumblebee inside.

More whirring and clicking, and there was Optimus, standing in the middle of a large cavernous room that was quite obviously an enlarged cave. He looked pensive and ominous, and Lana couldn't help but shurk slightly behind Bee.

The awkward silence was interrupted, however, by a loud and angry yell.

"_**You!" **_

It was a pretty girl, with long black hair, and she had a slender finger pointed directly at Sam.

"Ummm… Hi Mikeala…" Sam said, tongue tied and suddenly very nervous.

Lana peered out from behind Bee to get a better look, and she was spotted by the younger girl.

Mikeala narrowed her eyes at Lana before turning to glare at Sam

"Who is _she_?"

Sam swallowed, Lana sucked in a sharp breath, and Optimus held his hands on hips.

"That is precisely what I would like to know." He said sternly, and Bee, feeling panic rush into him like a river, could only pray to the Gods that this would turn out well.

_**xxx**_

_**A/N:**_ Well, sorry this took so long everyone!!! Hope you all enjoy, and I hope you all like the idea for the hideout, that's basically what took me so long. I didn't know what to make it since the Ark wasn't even mentioned in the movie. A few things...

First, a HUGE thanks to Thoughts in Chaos (Azza), for all her beta help, advice, and great reviewing. You're the BEST!!!

And in taking some of her advice, I want to ask a question of you all…

I'm about to start introducing new characters and, not to let the cat out of the bag, but a couple I'm thinking of using is Blaster and Soundwave. They were cassette players in the show and comics, and I want to know what you all would think if I changed their alt modes to keep them more current. And also suggestions on what you guys think I should change them into. Sorry, but tape decks aren't actually in use at the moment.

And also, I was under the assumption that they were small bots (since their small forms), until Azza told me they were regular auto/decepit-bot height. It didn't really make sense to me, but I'm thinking I should just keep it that way, what do you think?

If anyone noticed, I tweaked the first chapter, corrected the spelling of Mikeala (oops!), and changed Ironhide to a GMC (I can't believe I did that, thanks for the sharp eyes lauralavine!). Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I appreciate it sooooo much!

This is the site (without the gaps of course) that I found the Native American translation for River Peak. Thanks again to Azza for the idea, and if the translation is wrong blame the site, not me!

http ://language .nativeweb. org/ Lakota translation .htm

Anyway, off to the review board with all of you!!

_**xxx**_


	5. Chapter 5, Reunion

_**Chapter Five: Reunion**_

___**xxx**_

There was a permeating silence that filled the cave. It dragged on, stretching time out for what seemed like an eternity. Lana looked back and forth between Sam and Mikeala then cut her eyes briefly to Optimus, before looking back to the young couple. The girl looked beyond angry, and Lana shrank even farther behind Bumblebee to keep from attracting her glare once again.

"_Well_ Sam?" Mikeala's voice cut into the hush, her tone sharp and livid.

Another beat of silence stretched between the four beings, and Lana felt herself becoming more and more discomforted. This was, after all, all about her. Not her fault, no. She would not take that blame. But about her, yes. This was _definitely_ about her.

"Umm… come with me Mikeala." Sam said, taking the few steps towards her and dragging her up a set of carved stone stairs directly in front of them.

Mikeala began to protest, "What? No!" But Sam kept right on pulling her up the wide steps and through what looked like a control center, until he veered off to the left and pulled her out of sight, down what Lana assumed was a very large hallway.

He left her alone.

_Again. _

It was probably for the best, she had no interest in being present for the fight that was about to go down between the two teenagers. Sam had, after all, made a mistake. What kind of guy drove around older women while their girlfriend was obliviously unknowing?

Lana stepped out from behind Bumblebee but kept her hand steadily on his cool metal ankle, trying to gain courage from the touch. She looked up at Optimus. He was huge. It actually hurt her neck to look up at him. She took one large gulp, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I… I don't really know about anything that's going on right now, and I think that I'm feeling fine. So if it's alright with you, I'd like to go home."

The statement had ended up being yelled up at the robot so that her voice would carry, and she bit her lip in nervous habit as Optimus looked down at her. His eyes, blazing blue, seemed to soften at her request.

"You will be able to return to your home shortly. But first, I must speak with Bumblebee. He will show you where you can wait, and I will send someone to come get you when you are needed."

At that, Optimus turned and retreated towards Lana's immediate left, slipping past an open archway and disappearing down what looked like another hallway. Lana looked up at Bumblebee, and he returned her gaze. Lana though that he looked worried, and she found herself contemplating, _why_? What role had he played in this besides saving her's and Sam's life?

"Come with me." He said kindly, and began to walk forward, the same direction Sam had pulled Mikeala.

Lana followed him, and almost laughed when she saw the large yellow autobot ignore the wide stairway completely, stepping right up onto the large platform that Lana had previously thought looked like a command center. She still thought this, although she realized that it must have been made specifically for the robots. All the buttons and little flashing lights were placed high above her, and Lana wondered what they were for.

All around her was smooth grey and black rock. The floor, the walls, the stairs, even the ceiling (which she could just make out), was jagged rock. Bumblebee glanced over to find her looking up and smiled.

"It used to be stalactites, but after the second one fell and almost flattened Sam, Optimus reached up and broke them all off."

Lana cringed and looked away. She hoped that Optimus hadn't missed any of them, she had zero interest in getting impaled.

Lana looked around and realized that she had stopped walking, and saw Bumblebee was disappearing down the opposite way that Sam had dragged Mikeala. Lana ran to catch up with him, and looked over her shoulder as she became parallel with the hall, trying to see where Sam had gone.

It was just an open arch, exactly like the one Optimus had gone through, and led back further into the mountain. It looked exactly the same as where Bee was taking her. To the right, through an archway, and even deeper into the darkness of the mountain.

Bumblebee looked down at her. "Not only do we have the width of the mountain," he said, "but we also have the caves that go deep under it."

It was getting darker around them, and Lana shuddered at the lack of light. Just as she was about to ask if this hall would lead them anywhere, Bumblebee stopped.

Through the darkness that was surrounding her, Lana saw two dimly glowing wall sconces on either side of another archway that was sitting to the left of the passage. Bumblebee entered, and Lana followed him.

There was darkness, and then with the click of what must have been a very heavy switch, there was glorious light. The wall scones seemed to act as the chosen form of light, and they circled and lit up a room that was almost too small for Bumblebee to fit into. Which made it very it big, by any other standards.

The room was round and stood about 20 feet high, from stone ceiling to stone floor. And what was best, it had _human_ sized furniture. Only a table and four matching chairs, but still, something Lana could sit in and not feel ridiculously dwarfed. The table and chairs were in the corner of the room and other than that one amenity, the area was a bare cavern of smooth gray rock.

Lana rushed to the table and sat heavily in the nearest chair. She tried to stretch out her legs, but this only caused her long dress to rip a fraction at the hem. Lana frowned down at it. It was ruined. Dirty and ripped and damp, she could never wear it again. And… and did she really _want to?_ It was a _funeral dress_.

Lana's frown deepened. The funeral, her father, her bother, _robots_. All of it had happened in one agonizingly long day. Could it end now? All she found herself wanting to do was curl up in her bed and sleep for days.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a voice.

"I need to go and talk to Optimus. Will you be okay for now? Do you need anything?" Bumblebee asked.

Lana shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

Bumblebee nodded and turned to leave, but as he went to step out of the archway, he hesitated.

"I'm sorry, about today. You'll be able to go home soon, I promise."

And with that he left, giving Lana no time to question or respond.

He had apologized. Even though it wasn't his fault, he'd apologized.

Lana heaved a sigh, and found herself wondering, _"Why does my life have to be so complicated?"_

_**xxx**_

Sam grimaced. His life had too much drama in it already, and here Bumblebee was adding onto it like nothing at all.

Lana was a problem, Lana was a _big _problem. Why had he even agreed to let her drive? What had he been thinking? Bee would have still been his friend, he would have still taken him to school.

Sam gave a mental head shake. That had not been why he'd agreed to all this… _mess_, and he knew it. He'd let her drive because he'd known that had been what Bumblebee wanted the most out of _anything_. And he'd let Lana drive because, besides Bee wanting it, _she_ had needed it. She had needed the escape, if only momentary, from her disastrous life.

Instead, Sam had gone and made her life worse, _more _disastrous.

"Sam? Are you telling me the truth?"

Mikeala's voice was small and unusually tight, and cut into Sam's thoughts.

Sam looked at her.

"I swear. I… I don't want anyone else but you Mikeala, and I would never hurt you like that. I- I should have told you sooner, when this all started. But I didn't think it was a big deal at first, and then it just kept turning into this… this _stupid thing_. And I didn't know what to say to you. I didn't think you'd believe me, I guess. And now… now I don't know. This is a _disaster_."

His usually talked with his hands, but now they were in front of him, in a pleading manner, and Mikeala looked at him through questioning eyes.

Sam grimaced, "I swear. You can ask Bee yourself, he'll tell you the same thing. He won't want to, but he will. It's all true Mikeala. All of it." Sam looked straight in her eyes as he said this, pleading her to just believe, to trust.

"Did you tell Optimus all of this?" She asked, her head tilting to one side.

"I told him everything." Sam answered, and only cringed slightly at the lie. He'd told Optimus _almost_ everything. He'd excluded all the details of the way Bee had acted when he's first seen Lana. The goofy purring and obnoxious song choices. But he'd told the Autobot leader almost everything else, excluding more of the prominently embarrassing moments.

But Mikeala, he'd told her the whole thing. The way Bee had acted, the pleading and the empty threats. Everything right down to the last detail. And it wasn't only because he wanted to be truthful with her, it was because…

_Because he loved her. _

Sam blanched. _Love?_ Really?

It was true. Somewhere along the way, Sam had fallen in love. He didn't know when it had happened. Had it been when she'd kissed him in Mission City, moments before near death and certain failure? Or had it been after? When they had talked, and kissed more, and forged a meaningful relationship? When in those moments had he fallen in love with Mikeala Banes?

Sam stared at her, seeing her in a whole different way than ever before. Suddenly it was very important that she forgive him.

"_Please_. I'm sorry. Nothing like this will _ever_ happen again."

Only silence greeted him for what seemed like hours, but in truth only was one painfully long minute. Mikeala stared at him, her eyes clearly showing the debate she was going through in her mind. Should she forgive? Or should she attack, ask more questions, yell, or cry?

"_Don't _let anything like this _ever_ happen again." She said finally, stressing his last plea with a twist of her own.

"I swear." Sam said simply, his heart filling with happiness and other unknown emotions at, not her forgiveness, but her trust in him.

Mikeala rushed forward after one last awkward moment of silence, and fell into his awaiting arms. She didn't cry, but she did cling to him, something her mother had always warned her about. Clinging, instead of standing on your own two feet, always led to trouble.

But for now, in Sam's arms, her two feet could wait.

_**xxx**_

Bumblebee looked at Optimus, and understood, without any doubt in his mind, that his leader _knew._

Sam he told him the truth, as he should have, and Optimus had believed every word the boy had said.

Optimus stopped pacing and looked at him, metal brows raised.

"A _human_?"

It was all he had to say, all he had to ask, and it had Bee wanting to curl himself up in a ball of embarrassment.

"I… it's not like that. She. She was just there, and I…"

Stupid. He was stammering, something he had picked up from Earth and Sam.

Optimus had noticed too. He was looking at him through concerned eyes.

"You exposed yourself Bumblebee. You endangered the life an innocent. And for what? I do not understand."

If Sam were here he would have made a joke about Optimus saying that Bumblebee had _exposed_ himself. But Sam wasn't here, and Bumblebee was afraid to laugh.

There was a clearing of a throat, and all eyes turned to Ratchet, who had been standing quietly behind Optimus.

None of this conversation came as a shock to him, which made Bee guess that Optimus had briefed him on the situation already.

The three Autobots were standing in a bare and vacant room, much like the one Lana was waiting in now. It was devoid of any furnishings save the lights on the walls.

"You are attracted, to this human, because of all the… _disclosure_ you've had to this race. Correct?"

Always straight forward and to the point, that was Ratchet.

Bumblebee nodded and looked to Optimus for some kind of understanding on his leader's part.

Optimus just stared at him, brows still knitted.

"A _human_?" He repeated, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry Optimus. I was foolish and rash. I wasn't thinking. I was beginning to believe that… that all danger was past. That the fighting was over. I didn't think she would ever find out. That you would ever find out."

The long silence that followed was damaging to Bumblebee's nerves. He hated disappointing his leader, his friends. All he wanted to do was be like them, be as good as them. _Not _disappoint them, and certainly not let them down.

"I think, "Ratchet said softly, "That under the circumstances, there are more important things to worry about. This fascination is… understandable, all things considered."

Bumblebee wanted to thank the medic, but couldn't tear his eyes from Optimus to do so.

Finally Optimus gave a tiny nod. A reprieve, not saying that he was forgetting about this divergence, but that he was willing to forgive.

"Tell me what happened with Barricade, Bumblebee." Prime said.

Bee acquiesced immediately. "He _knows _Optimus. He must feel it, like we do. He didn't say what it was but… he knew. He's going to come for it. Him and others, I'm sure."

Optimus sighed. "I was worried this day would come. We could not hide that kind of power for long. We are the ones who hold it though, for now at least, and we will protect it. With our lives if we must."

Three somber heads nodded. This was not the first time, after all, that life had been the risk.

Optimus's optics became sad, and everyone knew he was thinking of Jazz.

"Hopefully" he began in a soft voice, "other Autobots received my message. We cannot win another battle like the last in Mission City. And I cannot stand to loose more friends… more family."

Bumblebee realized then that he'd put them all in more danger than he ever could have imagined, he just couldn't think how.

_**xxx**_

The grating of rock signified the opening of the entrance, and Sam, Mikeala, and the three Autobots entered the lobby to watch Ironhide dive through the door and turn into his robot form.

"Stupid Con." He said in a surly voice.

Optimus sighed, "Then you did not catch up with him, I assume?"

Ironhide shook his head. "That poor excuse for scrap metal ran and hid, the coward."

The weapons specialist's voice was full of annoyance and anger, his face a mask of displeasure.

"Didn't wanna see my guns." He muttered, kicking at the ground below him.

Sam rolled his eyes at the comment. It always came back around to the guns with Ironhide, no matter how you sliced it.

There was a clearing of a throat, and all eyes turned to Bumblebee. The yellow bot looked hesitant for a moment before saying, "Now that Hide's back, can I take Lana home? She really should go…"

Ironhide gave a strident chuckle, "I heard about that Bee. Went and got yourself all preoccupied with this human girl."

Bumblebee looked at the large bot for a moment before turning to Ratchet. "You told him?"

Ratchet had the sensibility to look guilty. "I only told him the basics. All things that were imperative to know."

Ironhide gave a wry grin, "Takin' chances and bein' rash. I liked the part about you dueling it out with Barricade in a corn field."

Bumblebee scowled and looked down at Sam. "And I suppose you told her?" He said, gesturing to Mikeala.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, kinda didn't want to feel the wrath anymore. Sorry though."

Bumblebee thought that Sam might be being sarcastic. He didn't sound very sorry.

"Alright, everyone knows I made a mistake and that I looked like an idiot. Could we all please keep this information from Lana?" Bee asked, feeling more and more ridiculous by the minute.

Everyone agreed, although Ironhide looked disappointed, like he'd wanted to talk about all this without having to worry about whom was around.

Optimus was looking seriously at Bumblebee. "Take her home Bee, along with Sam and Mikeala. You must hurry back though, we have _much _to discuss."

Bumblebee, feeling his heart sink, nodded and turned to leave, making his way past the rounded control room and into the hallway that held the area Lana was staying.

When he entered the room Lana stood quickly, looking anxious at the sight of him.

"I can go home now, right?" She asked, her hands twisting nervously together.

Bumblebee nodded, "I'll take you home. Are you ready?"

Lana nodded, "Oh yes. Let's go."

She walked to him as she said this, stopping to stand next to him.

Bumble turned and walked back out of the room, this time with her in tow. She was happy to be going home, and seeing her smile made him happy. But a part of him, a very selfish part, liked that she was here where he was. Liked that she was so close, that she was so near to him.

They enter the lobby together, everyone robot and human alike still there, and Bumblebee immediately shifted into his Camaro form.

Lana watched and made a face, "Crazy." She muttered, before sliding into the back seat as the doors opened, carefully avoiding everyone else's gaze. She hated to be stared at, especially when there were people in the room who though she had done something wrong.

When Mikeala slid into the back seat with her, and Sam jumped into the passenger's side, Lana gave a start. She looked at the younger girl with slightly alarmed eyes.

Mikeala gave her a small smile and said, "Listen, I talked to Sam, and he explained about your father, and how you've known each other for a while. I didn't mean to be such a bitch when I saw you, I was just worried, and angry."

Mikeala gave the blonde next to her a hesitant look. "Sorry?" She asked.

Lana threw Sam a look that clearly said _'known each other for a while, huh?' _Before she bit her lip and nodded. "Its fine, I think you had a right to be upset. I guess I should have explained a little better, but I think I may have been in slight shock."

The Camaro exited the mountain in a cloud of dust and began gaining speed on the open road, and Mikeala laughed. "Bee had that effect on you too?" She asked.

Lana smiled back at the girl. "Yeah, it's a bit overwhelming, especially with the day I've had."

Mikeala looked sympathetic, "I'm sorry, I think I made you feel… unwelcome."

Lana shook her head, "No! Well… maybe. But it's understandable. Really."

Mikeala groaned. "I so didn't mean what I said back there. Sam just drives me crazy."

Lana smiled and joked, "Its fine. We'll never speak of it again."

"Oh, if you insist." She Mikeala responded with a smile, shrugging

Sam craned his neck around to look at both of them. "Are we done with the sorry fest?"

The rolling of eyes between the two girls was almost unison, and Sam shuddered. Women were scary in that way. Angry and spitting mad one minute, and then acting like nothing had happened the next. Just scary.

It was twenty minutes later that Bumblebee announced, through the almost nonstop chatter that had erupted between Mikeala and Lana, that he was returning to the grave yard.

"To get your car. Then I'll follow you to your home to make sure you get there safely." He said once he got their attention.

Lana agreed and instantaneously jumped back into her conversation with Mikeala, much to Sam's chagrin. He was quickly getting tired of hearing about how hot Clive Owen was, and what great abs Brad Pitt was sporting. Although he did find it amusing that men seemed to be a neutral talking point.

Bumblebee was lost by the conversation however. Who the hell were these men? His wi-fi search told him they were actors or musicians or models, people the girls had never met, but why were they so important? Women were confusing, and they didn't make any sense. Bumblebee was starting to understand what Sam was talking about when he said Mikeala was like a bunch of different puzzles all mixed together.

As Bumblebee pulled into the cemetery, he immediately felt that something was wrong. His sensory was on overdrive from his run in with Barricade, and he could definitely feel the presence of _something_.

He jerked to a stop before he was halfway through the graveyard, causing the three occupants in the car to jolt in surprise.

Sam seized the dashboard and said, "Bee, what's wrong?"

Bumblebee revved his engine a bit before answering. "Barricade's been here. Something's not right."

There was quiet in the vehicle before Lana gasped, "Oh! My car, it's gone!"

All eyes peered at where her car had previously been parked, some twenty feet away.

It was, indeed, gone.

"How? How could it not be here?" Lana whispered, her eyes fixed on where it used to be, all white and rusted with a large dent on the bumper.

"Barricade." Bumblebee said, his voice angry.

"How? I mean, maybe it was towed or stolen or something." Lana said, clutching at the head rest in front of her.

Bumblebee sighed. "Lana, what did you have in the car?"

There was silence as Lana processed the question, dread spreading across her face.

"My purse." She whispered, eyes wide and worried.

Sam groaned. "Shit."

"We need to go." Bumblebee said. "We need to get to your home. He knows where you live."

He began to pull away, his engine roaring to life, when suddenly there were flashing lights behind him.

All heads turned to look out the back window, and Sam cursed under his breath.

"Not again." He moaned, his heart sinking down to his feet at the thought of another show down between Bee and Barricade.

"Everyone out." Bumblebee said, his doors swinging opening in an instant.

This time there was no hesitation. All forms were out of the car in record time, Mikeala tripping in her haste.

There was a whirring as Bumblebee shifted into robot form and stood looking at the police car, which did not immediately change.

Then, to everyone's amazement, Bumblebee began laughing.

His voice, full of happiness as he stared down at the cruiser, said only one thing.

"_Prowl." _

_**xxx**_

Authors note: Well everyone, I'm baaaaack!

If you missed the message on my profile, I had to leave this and my other story on a temporary hiatus. To keep a very, very, very long story short, I moved back in with my Mother, and it took a while to get internet at her house.

Anyway, here it is, the fifth chapter. You like? Please, let me know! It was the devil to type. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, especially since I've been gone for so long. And I promise for a _very_ long sixth chapter. :)

I've missed you guys, it's really terrific to be back here in the fan fiction world. A special thanks to Thoughts in Chaos for all of her enormous help and support while I was gone. The next chapter's for you lady!


	6. Chapter 6, The Other Cruiser

_**Chapter Six: The Other Cruiser**_

_**xxx**_

"_Prowl." _

Bumblebee was smiling at the silent car, his body blocked from the main road's traffic by the trees that outlined the cemetery and the slight fog that had crept in around them. 

It had thankfully stopped raining, but the ground was still slick with the downpour from earlier, and a chill was settling in as the day was coming to a close. The sun would set soon, and already in the distance crickets could be heard humming their songs. 

In the cemetery, Sam, Mikeala, and Lana all stared back and forth between the police car and the large yellow bot. The cruiser _wasn't_ Barricade, that much was obvious upon further inspection. 

Where Barricade was black and white, this new car was blue and white. Similar colors, but different models. While Barricade was an imperious looking Saleen Mustang, this new police vehicle was a sporty Nissan 350. Sam could not help but look at the car in reverence. It really was a nice looking automobile, sleek and built for speed. 

Finally, after what seemed like a long time, the blue and white squad car spoke. 

"It has been along time, Bumblebee. Where are Optimus and the others?" The voice was deep yet quiet, like he wasn't used to talking. 

Bumblebee was smiling, and there was a happy laughter in his voice. "We have a place we're staying." He answered vaguely, his car door "wings" twitching as he spoke. 

Bumblebee looked down at the three humans crowded around his ankle as if he had just realized they were there. "Oh! This is my human, Sam. And this is Mikeala and Lana." 

The Cruiser remained quiet, not responding to the introduction, but Bumblebee didn't seem to mind in the slightest. In fact, at the car's silence he began to smile even more. 

Sam raised his brows in a mix of curiosity and apprehension at the noiseless Autobot in front of him, still sitting quietly in its ulterior mode. He was afraid for a moment that Bumblebee would be offended by the bot's silence, it seemed rude after all. But when the little yellow mini bot just kept right on grinning like a fool, Sam was confused. 

"We need to take Lana home… we think Barricade has learned of her location." Bumblebee said finally, gesturing vaguely to the blonde huddled next to him. 

This seemed to perk Prowls interest. "Barricade?" He asked softly, his headlights flashing. 

Bumblebee nodded. "Will you come with me?" He requested, his smile never wavering.

There was a minute pause, and Sam thought that this new Autobot was perhaps thinking about whether or not the question deserved an answer. 

Finally the cruiser said, "I will follow you… where is Jazz?" 

Bumblebee's smile was at last wiped off his face. His optics dimmed a bit and his face turned stoic. "Jazz was…" 

Bumblebee stopped mid sentence and looked down at the three sapiens crowded around his feet. 

"I'll tell you later." He finished, and gestured with his head down at the humans. 

Another pause, shorter this time, and Bumblebee asked, "Are there others with you?" 

Prowl rumbled in what Sam though could have been something close to a laugh. 

"I'll tell you later." He said, becoming quiet once more. 

The silence between them was killing Sam. Just when he was about to ask Bumblebee what the hell was going on, Lana spoke up. 

"Listen," she said, her voice wavering a bit, but her tone sharp. "I don't care who take's me home, as long as I get there." 

She reached out a hand and knocked on Bumblebee's ankle as if it were a door. "Let's _go_!" 

Bumblebee smiled and nodded, the humming causing all three people to jump back as he turned back into the bright yellow Camaro. He revved his engine as his doors opened, and Sam, Mikeala, and Lana rushed into the awaiting car, Sam taking his place in the passenger's seat while the girls settled into the back. 

As they pulled off and out of the cemetery, the Police car following close behind, Sam leaned forward and asked, "Bee… what's going on?" 

"_Strange things are happening everyday" _The radio belted out, before Bumblebee sighed.

"This means there are more of us, that there are other survivors…" He answered, and he sounded capricious and in high spirits as he said it. 

Sam raised his brows, "So this… _Prowl_… he's an Autobot?" 

"Of course. He's a tactician, mostly. Optimus will be _very _pleased to see him. I wonder who else he brought with him… I can almost guess from his voice though." 

Sam made a face at the dash board of his car. "Bee! Cut it out with the rambling, you're losing me! Who else did he bring? More Autobots?" 

The radio flared up once more, but only static was heard. "Yes, more Autobots. And I think I can guess who was with him… but why they aren't here I don't know." 

Bumblebee sounded excited and worried all at the same time, and Sam could feel his own excitement building up as well. _More Autobots_. It was… incredible. 

Sam looked back at the Cruiser and grinned. There were going to be more Autobots, more friends, and more amazing stories. 

"Bee, don't take me back home yet. Drop off Lana and take me back to the lair!" Sam exclaimed, thumping on the arm rest next to him in excitement. 

Bumblebee chortled quietly, "Of course you'll come back Sam… you too Mikeala." 

Mikeala smiled from her position in the back seat, also turning to look back at the new ally. 

Lana huffed and settled back into her seat. "Please just get me home." She breathed quietly, rubbing her arms at the sudden chill that had crept over them. 

Sam maneuvered his body to glance at her. "You could come back…" He offered kindly. 

Lana shook her head vigorously. "No offence, but I've had enough for one day. And now you all are telling me you think some crazy decepti-whatever knows where I live. I just want to go home. Everything about this day has been horrible, and I just want it to end." 

Sam looked sympathetic. This day was, after all, something that could have been right out of a horror movie. _Especially_ for Lana. 

Bumblebee spoke before Sam had the chance though. "I will take you home Lana… but if Barricade knows where you live, it might be best that you return with me." The mini-bot said, his voice gentle. 

Lana shook her head. "I don't want to go anywhere but home." She said, but her voice was more defeated and dead that it was argumentative, and Bee dropped it. There was no use making Lana do anything she didn't want to. All he could do was make sure the blonde was safe, and that was something he could do _without_ her permission. It was his fault she was in possible danger anyway, so he'd make sure nothing happened to her while she was involved in this mess.

Lana gave directions to her home quietly from the back seat, and it was only five minutes later that they were parked in front of the small ranch style house. It was a simple place. The siding was brown and the shutters were red. There was a chain like fence that wrapped around the front and back yard, and the front porch held a wooden rocking chair that looked out into the street. There were some matured pine trees nestled in the front and back yard, and two cats streaked from under the porch and up into one, mewing nosily as they did so.

Lana sighed and smiled slightly. She was home. 

The doors to the Camaro opened for Lana and she exited the car. Sam glanced wildly up and down the street before asking in a hushed voice, "What do you think Bee? Do you think Barricade has been here?" 

Bumblebee didn't answer immediately, his senses going into overdrive as he scanned the streets for any signs of life that was unnatural to the earth. 

The only thing that came up abnormal was himself and Prowl. 

"Barricade hasn't been here… yet. She'll be fine for now, just let her go." He answered. 

His doors closed and his windows rolled down. Lana took this to mean that she was needed, and leaned into the car. 

"Lana," Bee said, his voice serious. "Lana, I think that I have put you in danger. Please, I know you are anxious to go home, and I understand that feeling, but you have to be careful. If anything happens, if you see any thing that doesn't seem right, call Sam." 

Lana nodded, not wanting to argue the topic at all. If she saw anything out of the ordinary, you bet your ass she'd bee calling them, this was their fault! 

She glanced warily at Sam before looking back at Mikeala. 

"If you don't mind," Lana said, nodding at the dark haired girl, "I'd rather call you." 

Mikeala looked surprised for a moment, before she shook her hear in ascension. "Of course you can call me!" She exclaimed, reaching into her purse and pulling out a piece of spare paper and pen, scrawling her number down hastily. 

Lana took it, carefully avoiding looking at Sam. There was no way, not after the day she'd had, that she would call him. 

"Thanks for the ride Bumblebee." She said faintly, patting the hood twice before turning and walking to her home, tisking to the felines that were growling at each other in the large pine. 

Bee stayed in the front of her home, watching her until she was safe behind her front door. He then pulled away, his speed slow as he checked each road he went down for possible danger. Prowl followed closed at the rear the entire time, his blue and red light flashing periodically. 

After what seemed like hours (and what had really only been forty minutes at the most), Bumblebee returned to the caves, Prowl entering the mountain behind him and parking in the large entrance lobby. 

Optimus was waiting for them, along with Ratchet and Ironhide, and he was smiling. It had been foolish of Bumblebee to think that the large Autobot leader hadn't known of the presence of the strategist. 

Sam exited the car at a vault, anxious to see the police car transform. He was not disappointed. The usual whirring and clicking that indicated transformation emitted from the newest addition, and the sleek looking cruiser shifted and altered until a very large Autobot stood before Sam. 

Prowl was huge in height and bulk, and was as stoic and stern looking as he sounded. The white and blue bot had white "wings" sticking out from his back, much like Bumblebee's, but the words 'POLICE" were stamped across them. Prowl's chest was bulky and blue, and the visor that lifted to reveal his unyielding face was a bright red. Sam's mouth hung open in awe, a smile creasing the corners of his mouth. 

As Mikeala slid out of the Camaro, Bumblebee also shifted into his alt mode, much smaller looking now than any other Transformer in the vicinity. 

There was a reverent hush as everyone, Robot and human alike, took in one another's presence. 

Finally the silence was broken by the boisterous and gruff voice of Ironhide. 

"Prowl, you old piece of scrap! You should have dropped in earlier, we could have used you in Mission City." 

Sam watched in slight alarm as Ironhide stepped forward and grasped Prowl's large metal hand, shaking it and pulling him in for a brief chest bump. This was something the weapons specialists had _definitely_ picked up from hanging around Lennox and Epps. It showed that this greeting was not natural by the look on Prowl's face and the hasty was he pulled away from Ironhide. 

Again there was the silence that seemed to surround Prowl indefinitely. Optimus broke the quiet by saying, "My friend, you are needed here in the worst possible way. There is _much_ we need to catch you up on." 

Prowl nodded before answering. "I can feel what you have here… I could feel it growing stronger the closer I came to this place." 

Optimus nodded as if he understood, but Sam couldn't help but wonder if this new bot meant that he could feel the presence on Earth, or the closer he became to the caves. If the answer wars the caves, then they really were all just sitting ducks, as Ironhide liked to put it. 

Ratchet inquired briefly about any injuries Prowl may have acquired during his landing, and Prowl waved him off dismissively. 

"Nothing to merit attention." He said quietly, then his blue eyes burned brighter and he looked over to Optimus. 

"We need to go and retrieve my fellow recruits... they got a bit… ah, lost, on the way here." Prowl stated, and Sam could have sworn that his metal lips twisted into a short-lived smile. 

Optimus raised his brows in question, "Should I even ask who you brought with you?" 

There was no doubt about it this time, Prowl was _definitely_ smiling. 

_**xxx**_

Sideswipe was _not_ a happy bot. 

For one thing, his stupid brother had him _still_ walking around this strange new planet without an ulterior mode. He wanted with everything in him to go find Prowl. But no, his egotistical brother had to find the ideal alternate form before he scanned it. Typical of Sunny, really, but this was taking far too long. 

"_The perfect car for the perfect face."_

That's what Sunstreaker had said. But truly, did it have to be so time consuming? They had been looking for the "perfect vehicle" for upwards of three hours now, and still everything just wasn't right. The bright yellow car that had the words _Mustang_ etched into its bumper was too bulky, and the narrow black _Corvette_ hadn't been the right color. "And besides," Sunny had said, "_that_ won't go fast enough." 

It was pitch black now, the sky pinpricked with the occasional star, and the deserted side road they were walking down stretched far in front of them, seemingly endless.

Sideswipe was losing hope. He was surprised that Blaster had been able to stand this for so long, but then again, Blaster was busy. 

Music could be heard continuously as the newly scanned Transformer researched Earths "history of harmony". He was walking along side Sunny and Side, not currently in his alter mode, seeing as it was stationary. Blaster, much to the chagrin of Sunstreaker, had scanned not a car, but an _ipod_. 

"But… but it's _so small_." Sunny had exclaimed, and Sideswipe had to agree. The red and yellow music player was tiny, with a little window that Blaster had called a video screen. It didn't even move around! And Blaster was a large bot, as tall as Sunny and Side, the ipod _just didn't seem right_. 

But Blaster had heard the music, had heard the _noise_ that had been coming from the tiny MP3 player, and had scanned it before either twin could object. 

"Jazz is going to love this." Blaster had laughed, as loud and unrecognizable sound blared out of his speakers. 

Rock was playing now though, loud wailing _guitars_, as Blaster had called them, and that type of melody seemed to stick. 

'_No stop signs, speed limit, Nobody's gonna slow me down'_

The voice was high and screeching, and Sideswipe grimaced. There really would be no speed limits, if his stubborn brother would just pick a car.

'_I'm on the highway to hell!'_

Sideswipe, making a face at the oblivious Blaster, turned his attention back to his brother, whose silver face was set in determination. 

He was about to tell him that the Corvette would be fast enough, when there was a rumbling from ahead of them. The three bots stopped suddenly in their tracks, the music also coming to an abrupt halt.

Headlights, two sets of them bright in the darkness, were speeding towards them. Shifting gears signaled speed and precision, and Sideswipe glanced at his brother in time the see the gleam in his eyes. 

The three Autobot's clamored to the side of the road, away from swiftly approaching racers, and Sideswipe looked at his brother. 

"Can we _please_ scan these?" He intoned, readying himself for when the sport cars would speed past the place they were hiding. 

"We aren't ever sure what they look like!" Sunny protested, but Sideswipe had had enough. 

He readied himself, and Sunny, with only a moment's hesitation, also prepared to scan one of the passing vehicles. He could always scan something else later, after all. 

They whooshed past, and Sideswipe and his twin scanned the passing cars in synchronized time. Sideswipe then immediately began to transform, his body shifting seamlessly into the passing blur that was now well on its way down the stretch of road. 

Headlights blared at him, and there, with his lights focused on Sideswipe, sat his twin brother, who was now also his match in vehicle model, minus color. 

The twins, sleek and sporty, were matching red and yellow _Lamborghinis_. 

Blaster, letting out a long appreciative whistle, only said, _"Damn." _

_**xxx**_

_**Links**_ to pictures of Sunny and Side, without the spaces:

http/ rides.webshots. com/photo /2797068360071747205pGtDGj

Sunny 

http/rides. webshots. com /photo/2170633430071747205mrLugQ

Sideswipe 

_**Songs used:**_

Alison Krauss, Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us

And

AC DC, Highway to Hell

_**Authors Note:**_

Well, I hope I did these three justice. Trust me, it was a challenge. Many, MANY thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I **LOVE** YOU!

Hey Azza! Look, its Blaster! And he's a video ipod! Who would'a thunk it:P

Please, no flames. Give me constructive criticism, that seems to work better. :)


	7. Chapter 7, The gun goes off at midnight

_**Chapter Seven: The gun goes off at midnight**_

_**xxx**_

Lana could still feel the ache in her bones almost a week after her frightening excursion with Sam and the Autobots.

A band-aid remained on her palm from the horrible mishap involving her nail breaking off into it. And besides that, her shoulder would scream in pain every time she'd try to take hold of something that was just out of reach.

And she was taking hold of many things, seeing as her entire home was practically in boxes.

It had only taken her the better part of a day to realize that home just wasn't home without her father. She'd planned on selling the house in a few months, but she'd rushed to put it on the market just three days after the funeral. Empty halls, silent rooms, and eerie sensations were in every corner of the one story ranch, and Lana could no longer stand being trapped inside its walls.

Every step she took inside of her once beloved dwelling reminded her in some way of her father. Like the bathroom he stood outside of when she was sixteen, coxing her gently out as she cried over some stupid high school boyfriend. Or the backyard, where he'd spent countless hours coaching her on the perfect fast ball. Or the kitchen, that now sad, lonely kitchen, where every Sunday he'd make her grilled cheese and canned tomato soup (his specialty), and they'd talk for hours about life in general.

This was all before his accident, of course. Before he'd become a shell of the man she'd buried the week before, eyes empty and un-resembling of the strong, sweet man she'd grown up with. It was comforting, somehow, that Lana barely remembered her father as incapacitated, and only as that past figure that she'd grown up having in her life. The man she called Dad had never been confined to a bed or a wheelchair. The man who was always up and moving about, taking apart the toaster and putting it back together, just because he wanted "to see how it worked." The man who was always pushing her to do better, always telling her that no matter what happened in life, you had to work through it, you had to thicken your skin and march on. That was the man she remembered.

Lana had also taken care of Meagan, the in home nurse. She'd had to hire the girl through an agency, she'd needed someone to take care of her father while she was at work. And Lana had liked young hospice, but in the end she'd definitely had the red-head misjudged. Meagan, thinking only to run out of the house for a couple of hours to go grocery shopping, had left her father alone at the house. And, although the woman had done the deed without malicious intent, Lana's father had died. Lana was annoyed at Meagan, mostly, by the act of abandoning her Father. But in the end, she knew nothing could have been done even if the girl _had_ been there. So, as hard as it was not to hold a grudge, Lana let it go.

She sighed now, eyeing the boxes in her kitchen. Maybe she'd been too hasty. All her pots and pans were packed away, and that meant no breakfast. _Damn._

It was Monday, and Lana was trying to mentally prepare herself for the grueling day she was sure she'd encounter, seeing as it was her first day back to work after her Fathers death. Work. It sort of made her want to cry. She'd become a complete recluse in this weeks time, only leaving her house once to get the mail. The rest of the time had been spent packing and perusing the internet for available apartments near campus.

But now, so early in the morning that the sun hadn't even began its rise, Lana wished she'd tried to have more interaction with the outside world, instead of hiding in her home like a hermit crab. Perhaps if she'd made an effort, she wouldn't feel like she was about to have a nervous break down at the mere though of communication with another person.

The nerves probably weren't helped by the fact that today she would see Bumblebee. Not only would she see the bright yellow Camaro, sitting innocently in Sam Witwicky's driveway, but she'd _know_ what he was. She'd know that under that exterior, he was real, _alive_. He was an Autobot, a robot, a protector, an alien. Lana could feel herself becoming paranoid at the very thought of all the events of the past week, and hastily shoved the pesky memories down. No need to have an episode so early in the day, after all. Maybe later… probably later.

Glancing at her watch, she realized that her taxi would be arriving soon. One of the unfortunate circumstances of never leaving your home for a week involved the inability to replace a stolen car. And while Lana couldn't really afford either a new car or the cab fee, she really didn't have a choice in the matter. Her old and decrepit vehicle was gone, probably just picked up and carried away, and she needed to replace it, _fast._

Exiting her home, eyes adjusting to the darkness that was still prevailing in the early hour, Lana peered up and down her street, searching for the tell tale signs of an approaching taxi. There was nothing except a few parked cars along the curb: a blue Camry, a brown Taurus, and a Black GMC pick up.

It took a moment for Lana, still standing on her porch, to realize that the truck looked unmistakably familiar. She stared at it, unmoving and looking completely ordinary, before narrowing her eyes.

"You've gotta be _kidding _me…" She whispered under her breath, walking quickly down the cement steps and across her lawn.

Two cats, one orange and the other black, ran circles around her feet, but Lana strode purposely forward, ignoring their mews for attention.

Stepping down from the curb and onto the road, Lana stood in front of the black and silver chromed truck, one eyebrow arched upwards. Nothing happened.

Dropping the look, she glanced shiftily around at the neighboring houses. Maybe one of her neighbors had just purchased a new vehicle? Placing her hands tentatively on the hood, thinking to herself, _'if anyone looks out their window and see's me, I'll get locked away into an asylum…' _

Lana cleared her throat and said, "Ummm… Iron… Something? Is that you?"

For a slight moment nothing happened, and Lana bit her lip in hesitation. Then, as if the large bot was waking up from slumber, the headlights flashed and a gruff voice said, "_Ironhide_… Iron**hide** girl."

Lana yelped out a small "_Eee_!" and jerked her hands off of the cars hood as quickly as if they had been scorched.

"Holy mother of God!" she hissed, eye in wide shock and a slender palm over her heart. "You scared the shit out of me!"

The weapons specialist did a lot of what sounded like grumbling, but it was nothing intelligible. Lana's cursing, however, was quite coherent, and she ranted while she took deep breaths, trying to get her racing heart under control.

Finally, with one last swear for the passing wind, Lana was able to string together a sentence. "_What _are you doing here?" She posed, her voice sharp.

"Watching you, aren't I? Barricade's been in this area the last couple days… he got away before we could catch up to em' though… the _slag_."

Lana thought Ironhide sounded upset about this statement, but it took her a moment to decipher what he meant.

"Wait… _Barricade_? As in crazy robo-cop car? And what do you meant, _we_ _couldn't catch up to him_? Exactly how long have you been out here?" Lana's hands were on her hips, and her brows were raised high.

Ironhide shuddered in annoyance. "I've been here all week… don't you ever come outside?"

Lana ignored the question, "All week! Is that really necessary?"

Ironhide made a snorting sound. "Didn't I just say that Barricade has been around here? Did you really think we wouldn't be watching you? Bumblebee got you into a mess of trouble, and it's our responsibility to make sure you don't get hurt."

Lana's eyes were narrowed, but she didn't respond. If Barricade had been around, that couldn't be a good thing. Maybe it was better that Ironhide was there watching her. He was a big guy, he could probably protect her.

"Well… thanks." She said finally, dropping her shoulders in defeat.

Ironhide began muttering darkly. "Better be thanking me. Out here, all hours of the night, not even your guardian…"

Lana made a questioning face. "Guardian? What's that?" She asked.

"Guardian. We're guardians of certain humans. Earthling that need protected from Deceptions. Bumblebee watches over Sam, and I keep track of Lennox." The bot answered, his voice irritated.

"Who's Lennox?"

Ironhide sighed. "A human. Now get in."

The trucks passenger door opened and Lana hesitated to move from her position in front of the Autobot.

"Why am I getting in? I need to go to work, I called a cab."

"And I called and cancelled your cab. _I'm_ taking you to work. Now get in."

Lana bit her lip, but slid into the car nonetheless. The truck pulled from the curb as she was fastening her seat belt, and Lana couldn't help but ask, "So… you can make phone calls?"

Ironhide turned down a side street and answered heavily. "Yes. And I can tap into your phone line."

That bothered Lana, and she was suddenly happy that she hadn't used her phone often in the last week. She tried to keep an indifferent point of view about it, however. They were trying to help. The last thing she wanted was to get smashed by a crazy cop car bent on world domination.

Lana sighed and settled back into the seat, closing her eyes and trying to mentally prepare herself for the day ahead.

_**xxx**_

Lana was surprised that she had fallen asleep, she hadn't even realized that she was tired. But as the truck pulled to a shuddering stop in front of the post office, Lana jerked awake in revelation. It took her a moment to gather her wits about her, and as she stepped out of the vehicle, Ironhide informed her that he would be there waiting.

Once inside of the building, Lana was met with glances of pity and sorrow. She didn't stop to talk to anyone, only clocked in and gathered the mail for her route. Typically she would commission the use of a post vehicle, but today she was sure that Ironhide would insist on being her only mode of transportation. This, in truth, was fine with her. The more she thought about it, the more welcome she was to the fact that she was to be protected and chaperoned everywhere she went. It made her feel safe.

After a quick word with her boss, who was obviously pleased to see her back at work, she was back in the truck, this time sitting in the driver's seat. Her mail bag was next to her, on the passenger's side, and she watched out the window as Ironhide made his way to where she was to begin her mail route.

"Okay," she said, once they got close. "Stop here, at Preston, and I'll make my way up and down it. Once I get back, we can go to Rutledge, Tanner, Wesson, and then Centennial. After that is Sam's street, Deshler, and then I've got Horoway, St. Paul, and Red Fern."

She could almost hear Ironhide grimacing. "That seems like a lot of streets." He complained.

Lana laughed lightly as Ironhide parked at the end of Preston Drive, his headlights dimming. "Well, it's not so bad. I'll be done by three at the latest… is anyone replacing you?"

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Because, I have school tonight, from nine to eleven." Lana answered, opening the door and pulling the canvas bag onto her shoulder.

Ironhide sighed loudly. "I'll be here to take you." He grumbled, his engine shutting off.

It took Lana three hours to finish the streets between Sam's, and that was only because she was taking her time. When they finally reached Deshler Blvd, Lana could feel the nerves building up in her, and she found herself hoping beyond all hope that Sam and Bee would not be home. It was a school day after all, Sam _shouldn't_ be home.

As she rounded the corner Lana could see the flash of bright yellow in Sam's driveway.

'_Damn!'_ She thought, biting her lip instinctively.

She put the small amount of post into the Witwiky mailbox, and glanced up at the Camaro. It flashed its light at her, and Lana gave a weak smile before walking up the drive.

"Hello, Bumblebee." She said, stopping in front of the car.

"Hello Lana." Bumblebee answered quietly.

There was a pause, and the blonde glanced around fugitively for Bee's teenage counterpart.

"Where's Sam?" she asked eventually.

"Sam's at school. I don't like staying there all day in the parking lot though, so sometimes I come back here."

That wasn't entirely a lie. Most time he did leave the school, but it was usually to go to the mountain. Today, however, Ironhide had informed him that Lana was returning to work, so he'd kept himself in the driveway, waiting eagerly to see her.

And here she was, standing in front of him looking nervous and tense, utterly on edge. She was beautiful though, looking just the same as she had last week. Her long pale blonde hair fell down in loose waves to the middle of her back, and her blue eyes were bright and intelligent. Her facial structure was sharp, and her large heart shaped lips were almost misplaced on her face.

Beautiful.

Bumblebee realized he'd been staring, and was glad that she couldn't tell because of his car form.

"Are you okay, Lana?" He asked.

Lana nodded, "I'm ok. Ironhide likes to make me think I'm an inconvenience, but I think he likes me."

Bumblebee chuckled. "You should come back to the mountain tonight Lana. Mikeala has been wanting to see you, and you can meet the rest of us."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "There are more of you now?" she asked.

Bumblebee hummed in affirmation. "Yes, there are more of us now. You should meet everyone, so you know who we are if you see us. We've all been trying to keep a tab on you. It hasn't been to hard though, seeing as you've shut yourself up in your house."

Lana smirked. "Yeah well, knowing you're on the hit list for a psycho human hating cop car, kinda make's you want to hide under a rock and never come back out."

Bumblebee laughed. "That's true. Will you come tonight?" He asked.

Lana seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well… I have class tonight. But I could come over before… as long as Hide doesn't mind."

Before Bee could stop himself, music was filtering though his speakers.

"_**You make me happy without even trying, you make me happy every time…"**_

Lana smiled at him as the music stopped, her head cocked to the side in thought.

"Do you do that a lot? Use music to talk?" She asked, her voice pensive.

There was a slight pause before Bumblebee answered.

"There was a time when I couldn't talk, and the only way I could show people, like Sam, what I was thinking or what I wanted to say, was through music." He said, immediately wondering if she knew the song he'd played, and (more disturbing) if she knew the remainder of the lyrics.

If Lana recognized the song, however, she said nothing more of it.

"Well… I need to go. I've still got a few more streets left. See you tonight?"

Bumblebee revved his engine faintly before responding. "Yeah, I'll see you tonight." He said.

Lana nodded and sauntered down the drive, but Bumblebee could have sworn that under her breath he heard her singing softly,

"_Gotta roll with the punch, stagger with the kiss, Follow what you feel on a night like this, Gotta raise up your flag, holler in the street, Someone's throwing roses all around your feet, Straight from your lips, you're gonna let it slip…"_

And then she was gone, and he was left with the suspicious feeling that in one single lyric he'd revealed more than he'd meant to.

_**xxx**_

Lana could feel the nerves building up in her as Ironhide drove closer to her home. The work day was finished, and she was suddenly dreading having to go to the Autobot hideout at Mt.Wakpahe.

Why had she even agreed to this? She knew it would be better, being able to recognize whoever was following her and know it wasn't an enemy. But meeting new alien life forms was quickly making her nerves skyrocket to uncharted realms.

And then there was Bumblebee, although she had no idea why _he_ was making her nervous.

Perhaps it was the conversation from earlier. Out of all the Autobot's she'd met so far, Bumblebee and Ironhide had been the one's she'd gotten along with easiest. But then he'd played that stupid song. Alannah Myles made some good music, and she'd always liked that particular song.

Thinking about it now, inside the comfort of Ironhide, she was sure that the melody meant nothing, that it was just the first random lyric he'd caught in his radio that portrayed happy feelings. But for a moment, standing in front of the Witwicky house, she'd been sure it _hadn't _been a fluke, that it had meant something deeper, something more…

She was being silly. Bumblebee was a robot, and the song was just a song, _nothing_ more.

As they rounded the corner onto her street, Lana caught the flash of what seemed to be several police and fire truck lights. She wondered briefly if a fire had caught in a neighbors home, before she realized with a sudden jolt that the home so much activity was happening at, was _hers._

Ironhide slowed his speed considerably, and Lana gasped as her childhood dwelling came into view.

It was smashed. The roof was caved in, looking suspiciously as though a large foot had crashed its way into it. The yard was muddy and trampled, and trees had been completely upturned from their roots. Electrical wires hung scattered over her lawn, and a small fire had erupted from a wire that had landed on her porch.

There was a ringing in Lana's ears, and a thumping in her heart, but she still heard Ironhide's stern voice say bitterly, _"Barricade." _

It was then that the tears cumulated from the past week pooled into Lana's eyes and broke through barrier she built to keep them back.

And Ironhide, caught off guard by her sudden cries of heartbreak and anguish, could only stay sentient and let the anger in him rise.

He was going to _kill_ Barricade.

_**xxx**_

Authors Note: Well Hiya! This was a big important set up chapter, and it took me forever to pump out. I hope you all liked it!!

Thanks to Azza, as always! You gave me some great ideas with your review, especially concerning Blaster and Mikeala. :)

And a thank you goes out to all my reviewers and everyone who reads this. I really appreciate everyone's feedback and all the positive things you guys have to say! I'm so flattered, really. And thank you to Kryss LaBryn, for her great review and enthusiasm for the story. I was thrilled when I saw it! :)

The song used was Make Me Happy, By Alannah Myles.

Now feed me, for I am starving. **:P**

**_xxx_**


	8. Chapter 8, Be Our Guest

_**Chapter Eight: Be Our Guest**_

_**xxx**_

_In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life; it goes on._

_-Robert Frost_

_**xxx**_

In the blink of and eye, everything can change.

In the course of a year, your whole life can be altered.

And in just a week's time, everything you once thought you had, can be gone.

Lana stared hopelessly into the back of the flat bed. Her life, all of her worldly possessions, fit into the read end of an alien GMC.

She scowled. This was ridiculous. A week ago things had been normal. She'd had a quiet life in Tranquility. She'd lived with her disabled Father, she'd gone to law school at night. She'd worked at the post office. She hadn't had a boyfriend in over a year, but that wasn't so bad once you got used to it.

And now what?

Now her Father was dead, her home was ruined, and she was moving in with living automobiles. _And_ she'd missed her night classes. There would be, in quite the literal sense, _piles_ of homework. Her life was in shambles.

"It could be worse."

Lana wondered vaguely how it could be worse.

"You could have been _in_ the house."

Sam had a point. She supposed that really was worse. But her cat was dead, one of them anyway. That stupid Decepticon had smashed him, he'd been _impaled_ into the ground, his small body flat as paper. Poor little Tom, orange and white, and always terrorizing Phantom, chasing him up a tree.

There was a mew, and Lana looked down at the black feline in her arms. Phantom looked up at her, his green eyes calculating. It almost seemed as though he was asking, _"Where, exactly, do you think your taking me?"_

Lana sighed. This was becoming too much for her to take. Everything was building on top of her, the pressure like a vice on her chest, and she was sure that it wouldn't be long before she cracked.

They all stood, Sam and Mikeala and all of the Autobots, circled around Lana in the central lobby at Mt.Wakpahe. They'd been at the Mountain, all of them, when Ironhide had sent the call through saying that Barricade had destroyed her home. They had come in force, almost all of them showing up and surrounding Lana's once home. It wasn't really home anymore. It was more of a rubble, abstractedly recognizable only by the color of siding that lay across the lawn, and a tree that was remarkably still standing in the front yard.

The police had left, telling Lana to contact her insurance agency in the morning, and that a crew would be by in the afternoon to look for what they were sure had been some kind of small explosion, set off by a faulty appliance or shoddy electrical wiring.

This, of course, was nonsense. Autobot and human alike knew that Barricade had done this, Ironhide voicing his opinion hotly once the police cruiser's and fire trucks had left.

Lana had tried not to speak. She had cried quite a bit when she'd first seen her home, but once Autobot's had started arriving she had quickly pulled herself together.

Her father had called it getting a grip, or facing the music. You just didn't fall apart in the Halifax family, it was like a code.

They all stood now in the middle of the Autobot's home, the carved out Mountain at the town's outskirts, and Lana pitifully clung to her cat, biting her lip and staring forlornly into the back of the truck.

"Lana… are you going to be okay?"

It was Mikeala. Her voice was soft as she spoke, and she looked nervously at Sam when the blonde didn't immediately respond.

Lana sighed and released a breath she hadn't know she'd been holding.

"I… I'll be fine." She answered.

There was a pause, no one speaking as all eyes fixed on Lana. Then, gruffly, Ironhide spoke.

"Get this crap unloaded so I can transform."

There was a pause as everyone diverted their attention to the black truck.

"NOW!" He snarled, and immediately Lana had set down the squirming black cat, and Sam was hopping into the flat bed to hand boxes down to her.

It took a moment, and then Bumblebee and Optimus were reaching into the truck, removing the contents with a handful each, and setting them on the ground next to Lana.

Ironhide altered and Lana quickly located her cat and scooped him into her arms.

"I'm sorry about all of this." She mumbled, scratching Phantom behind his ears.

"We are the ones who owe you an apology." Optimus said, looking sadly down at the girl.

Lana said nothing, but secretly agreed. There was no point in blaming any of them. In fact, she liked most of them so far, but this certainly was no fault of her own.

"You may stay in one of the caverns we have converted into rooms." Optimus continued, his voice kind and sympathetic. "The one you were waiting in last week will suit you, I believe."

Lana nodded absentmindedly. Then suddenly she jerked her head up to look intently at Optimus.

"Do you think that you guys would step on Phantom if I let him loose?" She asked worriedly.

"Phantom?"

"My cat. His name's Phantom."

Optimus zeroed in on the small animal squirming in Lana's arms.

"I think that it's a possibility we could accidentally step on him." He answered after a moment.

Lana made a face and held the feline tighter.

"There's a door right? I can just keep him in my room?" She asked, suddenly fearful that another pet would end up resembling that of a pancake.

Optimus smiled at her. "The room now has a door… and it would be best if you kept him there. We wouldn't purposely step on him, but…"

Lana nodded, mentally adding a litter box on her list of things she needed to purchase. It was on a growing inventory that included a car, a home and a new bed, seeing as a huge metal foot had smashed the two latter.

She sighed again and bent down to lift a box with one hand, holding it on her hip. Sam also grabbed one of her heavier boxes, as did Mikeala. The rest was left for Ironhide and Blaster, who followed the humans with ridiculously small steps.

They all walked in silence to the room that only a week ago Bumblebee had had her waiting in while he was being interrogated, and the little yellow bot watched them go now with a look of worry etched on his metal face.

"This is my fault." He said once they were out of ear shot.

"_**She's**_ the one you like?" Sunny scoffed, pulling a face of disgust at Bumblebee.

Bumblebee ignored him and instead looked at Optimus.

It was true. This really _was_ Bumblebee's blunder. But the leader couldn't see the point in lecturing and chastising the young bot now. It was obvious that he's learned his lesson, although it had come at a price.

"This isn't a time to be placing the blame on yourself, Bumblebee. Instead you could be helping our new guest."

Redemption. That's what he was implying. Bumblebee needed to redeem himself. He needed to be setting things right.

The bot nodded and strode out of the lairs entrance with purpose.

Sunstreaker watched him retreat in bewilderment and appall.

"Her!"

_**xxx**_

In the room Lana looked around with wide eyes. It was big, very big. And yet the Autobots made it look incredibly tiny. Both Blaster and Ironhide were hunched down, looking enormous and completely out of place.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Blaster asked again, inching his was towards the door.

Lana smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

"Go! You can barely fit in here, what could you do?!"

Both large bots nodded and exited in a hurry, Ironhide grumbling about the pointlessness of enclosed spaces.

It wasn't a moment after the two had left, however, that another bot came striding in.

"Bumblebee," Lana said, looking up at him and smiling. "I see that you fit in this room quite well."

It was true. The mini-bots head didn't even reach her ceiling. And while he was still incredibly tall compared to the rest of the humans in the vicinity, he was without a doubt the smallest of the Autobots, and the only one who would fit in her new living quarters with semi-comfort.

"I'm here to help!" Bumblebee exclaimed, pulling a smile that did not brighten his eyes.

Sam laughed when Lana clutched her cat tighter.

"You could prob'ly start by shutting the door Bee. And don't step on the cat." Sam said, gesturing to the huge metal sliding door behind Bee.

The door had surprised Lana. It had not been there before, it had only been an open archway just a week ago. But she hadn't asked about it or complained.

Bee nodded and lightly tapped a large red button that was by his head. There was a similar button about four feet off the ground, which had apparently been installed for humans. When the red button was pushed, the doors closed. When it was pushed again, they opened. Easy.

Lana eyed her cat and then Bumblebee.

"Please don't step on him." She said, lowering the feline so that its hind legs touched the smooth flat surface.

"I'll sit over here, and before I leave you can pick him up again." Bumblebee said, crossing the room and lowering himself to a sitting position in the corner of the round cavern.

"I don't understand pets." Bumblebee said, watching as Lana held the animal under its front legs, its feet scraping the ground as she contemplated whether or not it was truly safe to let him go.

Lana pursed her lip as she thought, her body bent over as she kept hold of Phantom.

"They just keep us company, I guess. They're kind of a past time that we end up loving. And besides, they're cute." She answered, finally releasing her hold on the cat.

Phantom sniffed the air, his whiskers twitching and his long tail flicking back and forth. He gave one loud "MROW!" before racing across the room and hunching down. There was a pause, and then,

"Oh gross! Lana! Your cats shitting!"

Sam pointed at the cat, who glared at him in return, and Mikeala held her nose. Even Bumblebee made a face.

"That's not cute." The bot said, waiving his hand back and forth in front of his features.

Lana bit her lip to try and hold back the laughter that was threatening to bubble to the surface.

"Stupid cat." She muttered, looking around her for a stray plastic bag.

She finally found one that had been holding various essentials that she had found in the rubble of her home. She emptied it onto the floor, hairbrush and silverware piling together, and scooped up the cats "mess" into it.

Sam and Mikeala backed away from her when she brought it back to the center of the room, the bag securely tied.

"Don't suppose there's a place I can throw this away, is there?" She asked, her nose scrunching at the thought of having to keep it with her until morning.

Sam twisted his face in grim dismay and took the tied ends of the shopping bag by his thumb and index finger, holding it away from him with a look of pure revulsion on his face.

"I'll take this outside," he mumbled, trying to breath through his mouth.

"Thanks," Lana said awkwardly, hooking her thumbs into the back pockets of her work shorts and rocking on her heels. She still wore her post uniform since she hadn't had the chance to change out of it in all the confusion.

The door opened and closed as Sam exited, and Lana eyed her pile of belongings.

It wasn't much.

Two trash bags of her clothing had been salvaged, and a photo album that was muddied on the cover, but the pictures were still in tact. There was a sleeping bag somewhere in the heap, and all sorts of odds that Lana had been to overwhelmed to leave in the ruins of her home. Boxes of assortments that she'd clutched to desperately to before setting them lovingly into the cardboard storage, afraid that they would break even after surviving the destruction of the house. There were three plates of her Grandmothers good china that hadn't been broken, and the quilt her Aunt had knitted for her when she was an infant was still perfectly unharmed.

That was it.

There was nothing else.

Lana sighed. The only thing she could really do at this point was lay out her sleeping bag and shove everything else into the corner. Mikeala helped her with this, and by the time Sam returned, making sure not to let the cat out as the door slid shut, all the work was done.

"That's it? You don't need anymore help?"

Bumblebee made a noise that sounded like a scoff. "That's what I said! They just moved a few things around and then said, _'we're finished!'_ I didn't even move anything…"

Mikeala raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well then, I'm sure you'll be available when Lana gets more furniture, she'll need your help then."

Mikeala's lips twitched because she knew Bee would be more than happy for an excuse to spend time with the blonde. Lana, however, was shaking her head, and she responded before the yellow bot had a chance.

"I won't be here that long. A few days maybe… Just until I find an apartment. And I could rent out a hotel room for awhile."

Sam made a doubtful face. "I don't think that'll work," he said.

Lana looked surprised and questioned him.

"Because," he said, "Optimus wouldn't let you leave. Something about Autobot hospitality. They think it's their fault you're in this mess, so you'll probably end up staying here for a while… I dunno, you could offend them if you don't."

That wasn't exactly true, but Sam knew that Bee spent a lot of time at the base. This could be a good way for him to get to know her. Or, quite the opposite, it could be a way for him to get hurt. But Sam tried to keep an open mind about it, so he figured he'd try to get Lana to stay a bit longer than she had originally planned.

"You're our guest, you should stay." Bumblebee said, looking down at her and speaking in a kind voice.

"What am I, Belle now?" she joked. No one laughed.

"From Beauty and the Beast…" she tried to explain.

Sam raised a brow and made a face that seemed to say _lame_, and Bee cocked his head to the side.

"Nevermind…" Lana pursed her lips. "I don't know… maybe. But if I do I need a bed."

"That settles it then," said Mikeala, smiling, letting the failed attempt at a joke blow over. "Tomorrow, after school, we go shopping."

Lana was impressed that the high school girl was so confident. When she'd been in high school, while she'd been far from unpopular, she'd never been comfortable enough to tell an adult that they'd be going shopping together. None the less, Lana didn't have many friends, her social life had come to an abrupt halt in theses last five years, and it would be nice to have someone there while she bought essentials.

The three humans talked for awhile after that, Bee putting his thoughts in every so often, before the teenagers announced that it was time for them to go. Tomorrow was Tuesday, and they had school. Bee had stood to leave as well, once Lana had scooped up Phantom, and he and his humans left her room.

Her room.

It surly didn't feel like her room. It didn't even feel like a room. It actually kind of felt like she was camping outside, the sleeping bag adding to the effect.

"Yeah, we need our own place… soon," she said, looking down at Phantom and scratching his ears. The cat didn't bother looking back up at her. Instead he wriggled free and began exploring the rounded room.

On an exhale of breath Lana began searching through the trash bags until she came up with a pair of blue flannel pajamas. She changed into them quickly and slid into her sleeping bag.

The lights were on.

Lana scowled. How did you get the lights to turn off? They were large sconces that circled the top wall, brightening the room as if they were sunlight.

She clapped twice and nothing happened. "Didn't think that would work anyway," she murmured, pursing her lips to the side. She laid there for over a half an hour, trying to sleep despite the brightness of the room. It was impossible, like the light was shining directly into her retina.

Slightly aggravated she slid back out of the sleeping bag, kicking her foot to get it untangled from the material.

She picked up Phantom, who been scratching the walls, and walked out of her room and down the hall, trying to be quiet while she searched for one of her new room mates.

She hadn't gone far when she found Bumblebee.

"What are you still doing here?" she exclaimed, raising a brow.

Bumblebee, who had been sitting in the hallway that her room was located, jerked as if he'd been startled, or awakened. Was this sleeping for an Autobot?

"Sorry…" Lana said, a guilty look on her face.

"No! Your fine, I was just watching a movie and didn't hear you." Bumblebee answered. "What did you need?"

"I can't figure out how to turn off the lights. What movie were you watching?" Lana couldn't help it, she was intrigued. What kind of movies did robots watch?

"Oh, ummm…" Bee sounded suddenly nervous and hesitant, as if he's rather not tell Lana. "I was watching… _Beauty and the Beast_."

Lana's lips twitched, but she successfully held back laughter. "Oh? Which one?"

"Disney."

Lana grinned, "One of my favorites."

Bumblebee stood and stretched his legs, towering over the blonde in front of him. "Yeah, well, I didn't know what you were talking about earlier, so I looked it up," he said, hoping no one was around to hear his conversation.

"Could you not mention to anyone that I was watching a cartoon?" Bumblebee added, his voice slightly worried. Sunny would never let him hear the end of it if he found out.

Lana nodded, "Only if you can get the lights to turn off in my room," she teased, not having any intention of potentially embarrassing the friendly bot.

Bumblebee agreed and returned with her to her room. He showed her a switch that was at her eye level, and it looked much like that of an ordinary dimmer you could find in plenty of homes.

"Well… that was kind of obvious, I can't believe I missed it." Lana said, annoyed that she hadn't found it on her own.

Not a problem," Bee replied, turning to walk out of the room. It was a bit much, having to be alone with her, and it wasn't helping deter his feelings at all.

"Wait!" Lana yelped before she could stop herself.

Bumblebee looked down at her in question, metal eyebrows raised.

"I… can I watch the movie too?" she asked. "There's no way I can sleep right now."

Bumblebee couldn't help smiling. It was probably a bad idea in the long run, but saying no at that moment wasn't even an option.

As answer, he transformed into the bright yellow Camaro, the drivers side door opening for her on its own accord.

Lana smiled and slid into the car, climbing into the back seat and letting her feet stretch out over the middle consol. A flat screen appeared from the dash board, and it was only a moment before the opening scenes of Beauty and the Beast began to play out.

"This was always one of my favorites," Lana sighed, smiling at the tale of the greedy prince who shunned away the starving hag offering him a rose.

Bumblebee kept quiet. From what he'd seen so far, he liked it too. And the beast made him feel ridiculously hopeful, as though he might have a chance.

'_The beast turns into a human, you're a robot…'_ Bumblebee thought, sour at the realization.

But still…

It wasn't an hour later and Lana was asleep, her head crooked awkwardly on her shoulder. There was no way Bee would wake her, and if he had to he'd stay all night just to keep her where she was. There was nothing in him that could deny the fact that having her this close to him was one of the best experiences imaginable. She felt right there, lying in his back seat.

So maybe… maybe this was worth fighting for? Optimus had told him to let it go, but maybe… Maybe the risk of being heartbroken was worth it.

Maybe Lana was worth it…

_**xxx**_

_**Authors Note:**_ Yes, yes, I know. It's been FOREVER! I'm sooo sorry, but please be patient with me. There is a lot going on right now, and I also have 2 other fic's. I love you guys though, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Oh, guess what? I don't own Beauty and the Beast… imagine that! And if you thought I owned Transformers, guess what? I SO don't… :)

Thanks to all the reviewers, I appreciate you guy's soooo much! Azza, Blaster makes a more solid appearance in the next chapter, so that one's for you!

Love you all, and as always, please review!


End file.
